Читать книгу Satan's Mark - Anne Herries, Anne Herries - Страница 8

‘La, what a pretty thing she is!’ Lady Emily clapped her in delight as Annelise pirouetted for her benefit. ‘You will be the most beautiful lady at Court this evening, my dear.’

Annelise’s gown was fashioned in the elaborate French style which had become popular since His Majesty’s return, with a close-fitting laced bodice and a décolletage that skimmed her breasts and shoulders; the sleeves reached to her elbows, were full and banded with lace and ribbons; the trained overskirt was hitched back to reveal a heavily embroidered panel at the front. Her hair had been parted in the centre, caught in a chignon at the back and allowed to fall in bunches of ringlets to either side. Small knots of ribbon threaded with pearls had been pinned above the curls.

Annelise glanced at herself in the mirror, which was Venetian and fabulously expensive, just like her clothes. A part of her—the modest, unassuming lady that she still was by nature—was shocked by what she saw. That woman in the elegant silk gown could not possibly be her! And yet it was pleasing to be dressed so fine. She was aware of excitement, of a sense of expectation.

A knock at the door caused both Annelise and Lady Emily to turn their heads. They were standing in the small chamber which led through to Annelise’s bedroom; it was furnished with a writing table, a handsome cabinet, stools and a settle so that guests might be received privately, something Annelise had found strange at first, but had now discovered was favoured by many of the fine ladies she had met since coming to town. After the French fashion, friends, privileged tradesmen, wig-makers and suitors were all invited to a lady’s boudoir to watch and admire as the finishing touches were put to her toilette. The practice had astounded Annelise, who had found it shocking at first, but after four weeks, during which she had been taken to meet many of Lady Emily’s friends, she had lost many of her former inhibitions.

‘Enter,’ she called, unsurprised when the Marquis walked in. It was not the first time he had come to her boudoir, though she had not seen a great deal of him these past few weeks, because his time was much occupied by constant visits to the courtroom in which he was suing for the return of his father’s estate. ‘You are home, then, sir. I vow we had begun to think you had forgotten this evening is to be my debut at Court. Is that not so, ma’am?’

She tipped back her head, her eyes bright with mischief as she gave him what could only be called a provocative smile, then sank into a very deep and reverent curtsey, her head bent as if she curtsied to the King himself.

‘Did you think I would break my promise?’ Justin’s brows rose as he saw her and was struck by the change, not only in her appearance but her manner. She was enchanting! His mother had worked a miracle. He could hardly believe that this confident lady of fashion was the little Puritan maid he had seen singing in the woods only a few weeks earlier. ‘You look very well, Mistress Woodward.’

‘She looks well! Fie on you, Justin,’ his mother cried, tapping his arm with her fan. ‘Have you no better compliments for Annelise? She is ravishingly lovely in that gown—and, I dare swear, will cause quite a stir this evening.’

‘Annelise has always been beautiful,’ Justin replied, frowning slightly. His frown was for himself. For some unaccountable reason he was uneasy. Who was this beautiful young woman? Where had she come from? ‘I am sure Mistress Woodward will acquit herself with the proper modesty due to her unmarried status.’ He handed Annelise a velvet-covered box. ‘You need some kind of ornament. I hope this will be to your taste.’

Annelise gave a little cry of pleasure as she opened the box and discovered a necklace of pearls with a large emerald pendant set in gold. She had never seen anything quite as lovely.

‘Oh, this is wonderful,’ she cried, her face lighting up as she looked at him. ‘May I really wear this?’

‘It is for you,’ he said, and his mouth softened into a smile as he saw her delight in the necklace. For a moment he had thought her the sophisticated lady of fashion she looked, but underneath she was still the innocent girl who had been dancing in the woods when he had come upon her all unawares. ‘My gift to mark this special evening.’

‘Thank you…’ Annelise hesitated as she saw the way he was looking at her. What did it mean, and why had her heart started to race? ‘You and Lady Emily have been so kind to me.’

‘Nonsense, my dear,’ her hostess said. ‘You have been a delight to teach.’ Lady Emily gave her son a sly glance, noticing his intense gaze, which was all for Annelise. ‘Are you not pleased with my efforts, Justin? Do you not think she has learned her lessons well?’

‘I did not doubt she would,’ he replied. ‘Come, Miss Woodward, let me fasten the necklace for you.’

Annelise stood where she was as he came towards her, then gave him the necklace and turned her back so that he could fasten the clasp at the nape of her neck. His hand brushed her bare shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine. She glanced round at him, fluttering her lashes in the way Lady Emily had taught her, and smiled.

She was a minx! His mother had taught her too well, Justin thought as he saw that look. What a charmer she was. No French courtesan could have done better!

‘We should go,’ he said, refusing to respond to the invitation in her eyes. Damn it! He hadn’t expected such a change so quickly; he wasn’t sure how it had come about. One moment she had been the nervous, slightly reserved girl he had first met; the next she appeared to have turned into an accomplished flirt. What had been going on while he was tied up at the Court of Appeals?

He saw his frown had brought a look of dismay to her face, and remembered that this transformation was only on the surface. His mother had taught her to flirt prettily, but the girl herself was not changed. Yet something stopped him reassuring her at once. He must remember always that she was under his protection and keep a distance between them.

‘I do not want to be late. The hearing seems to drag on for ever. I must speak to His Majesty this evening, see what can be done to hurry things along.’ He spoke more harshly than he knew, his mind too wrapped up in his own concerns to realise that his words might be taken amiss.

Annelise heard the coldness in his voice and felt hurt. She had tried so hard to be what he wanted. Lady Emily had told her about the beautiful ladies he had known in France, his mistresses who were amongst the cream of the courtiers and much envied him by other men—and she so wanted to be like them, because then he might find her attractive. His manner told her that he was indifferent to her. Despite all her efforts to ape the manners of Lady Emily’s friends, she was still only a country girl at heart.

If she wanted to make the Marquis look at her with interest, she would just have to become like the sophisticated ladies his mother said he admired.

‘Take no notice of him,’ Lady Emily whispered at her shoulder as they followed Justin outside to where two sedan chairs were waiting to carry them to the palace. ‘He has been in a mood of late. I do not know what ails him. It hardly matters whether he regains his father’s estates, he has money enough—but it is always so with him. He will have his way, no matter the cost.’

Annelise made no reply. She waited until Lady Emily was settled in her chair, then gave her hand to Justin. He nodded to her, then carried her hand to his lips, kissing it briefly.

‘My mother is right,’ he said softly, relenting because of the hurt in her eyes. ‘I have no doubt that you will cause a stir this evening—but choose your victims wisely, Annelise. His Majesty frowns on duels amongst his courtiers. If you must break hearts, make sure the gentlemen are first your friends.’

‘Are you my friend, sir?’ Annelise glanced up at him wickedly.

‘I am your guardian. You will gain nothing by flirting with me. You should look for a suitable husband.’ Once again he was conscious of the need to keep his distance—for her sake.

‘Yes, my lord, I shall do as you bid me,’ she said, a glint in her eyes. ‘But you would not wish me to marry in haste? You would not seek to force me into taking a husband I could not like?’

‘Of course not.’ What was wrong with him that evening? Justin wondered at his own harshness. The girl was entitled to her pleasures. ‘I meant only that this is your first time at Court. No doubt my mother has warned you of the dangers. I need not say more.’

‘No, sir, you need not.’

Annelise drew the curtain on her chair, shutting herself in as the chairmen began to carry her through the streets. The Marquis was walking beside her and there was a footman following behind, armed with a stout cudgel. It was necessary to be on one’s guard, for there were beggars and vagrants waiting in dark corners to spring on the unwary and rob them of their valuables.

London could be a dangerous place, both on the streets and at Court. Some of the men who had judged King Charles I had already been seized and tried for their crimes, and others less guilty of treason had also been punished for the part they had played after the war. In the country there were murmurs of dissent, and at the Court itself the various factions were at each other’s throats.

Annelise’s uncle had spoken of the Court as a wicked, licentious place, where the King set a bad example to his followers by his immoral behaviour. He had his mistresses, amongst them the beautiful Barbara Villiers, whose husband, Lord Castlemaine, was forced to accept the horns of a cuckold in return for favours given by his Sovereign.

Annelise was well aware that she must be careful of her reputation if she wished for a good marriage.

‘Once you are married, you may do as you wish,’ Lady Emily had told her with a wicked look. ‘Providing you know how to manage your husband, of course. Naturally, you will not take lovers until you have given him an heir…though at Court, I dare swear, there are a good many husbands who hardly know whether their sons are their own or another’s.’ She had laughed, as if much amused at the idea. ‘And it serves some of them right!’

If the ladies of the Court could flirt as they pleased, then so could she, Annelise decided. The Marquis was her guardian, but there was surely no need for him to be so strict with her—he was almost as bad as her uncle had been. She would ignore him, as Lady Emily had told her. This was to be a special evening, and she meant to enjoy herself, despite the little ache in her heart his harsh manner had caused.

Annelise was nervous as she went forward with Lady Emily to be presented to His Majesty. At first sight he looked ugly, with his long face, dark complexion and sad spaniel eyes, but as she rose from her curtsey and looked up into his eyes she saw they were not really melancholy at all. He smiled at her, a hint of mischief in his manner as he welcomed her to Court.

‘So this is Mistress Woodward,’ he said. ‘I had heard you were become a Puritan, mistress—but it seems rumour hath lied yet again. In all the country, I dare swear, it would be hard to find a man who had not wished for my return most heartily, and the ladies cannot be brought to having wished for my banishment at all. But politics are ever thus, what say you?’

‘My uncle Sir Hugh Featherstone is of the Puritan persuasion,’ she replied. ‘But my father died fighting for your cause, Sire—and my mother of a broken heart. For myself, I am happy simply to be at Court this evening, and know nothing of politics.’

‘Well said, Mistress Woodward. You are as intelligent as you are lovely, and will be welcome to us whenever you choose to give us the pleasure of your company—which we hope will be often.’ Charles looked over her head at her guardian. ‘Sir, why do you frown so? This is meant to be a happy night, is it not?’

‘I beg your pardon, Sire,’ Justin replied. He was shocked to discover that he did not care for the look the King bestowed on Annelise. It was far too avaricious. ‘Perhaps you will grant me a moment of your time later?’

‘Yet another request for justice, I suppose?’ Charles waved his scented kerchief, looking bored and slightly out of temper. ‘Later, perhaps. Take your ward into the ballroom, sir. Dance with her. I would have her be merry. She is a lovely child, and a credit to you, Lady Emily.’

‘Thank you, Sire.’ Lady Emily curtsied before him. ‘You are generous to say so.’

‘Bring her often, madam. I would see her always at Court. Such beauty is not to be hidden away. And that is a command.’

Justin placed his hand under Annelise’s elbow, steering her away. In the next room they were already forming sets for the first dance of the evening and he took up his place with her. It was a courtly, gentle dance that allowed for conversation, but for the first few minutes Justin said nothing to her.

‘Are you angry with me?’ she ventured at last. ‘Have I offended you, sir?’

‘Angry? No. Why should I be?’ He looked down at her. ‘I apologise if I have seemed so.’

In truth he did not know what was wrong with him. The King had shown interest in her, nothing more. Was it not what he had planned—an amusing game to put Madam Barbara’s nose out a little? Yet as he looked down at Annelise’s face he felt something very akin to jealousy stirring.

What nonsense! She was a pretty little minx, but hardly likely to be a serious rival to His Majesty’s favourite.

Annelise knew nothing of his thoughts, only that he looked stern, as if she had made him angry. She turned her mind to the dance and curtsied; he bowed, and they parted to take a turn about the room with the next person in the line. A tiny nerve was twitching at the corner of his mouth when they came back together.

‘You seem annoyed…’

‘If I am, it is not with you.’

Annelise digested this in silence. He was angry, and if not with her—then who? With himself, his mother—or the King? Surely not His Majesty, unless he was displeased that his request for an interview had not been granted immediately? Of course, that must be it.

They made stately progress down the line.

‘You must be careful, Annelise,’ he said. ‘I have warned you before. There are those who would take advantage of your innocence. You are new come to Court and cannot know how to behave.’

She had spoken to no one but the King, and then only modestly, in answer to his questions. Surely her guardian could not have objected to that? He was being unfair to her!

She lifted her head, hurt by his odd manner and determined not to let it spoil her evening. Why was he being so stern with her? She had done nothing to bring his censure on her—and she was tired of being treated like a child. Lady Emily had spent hours teaching her how to curtsey, how to hold her fan, how to catch the eye of a gentleman across the room.

She saw a man looking in her direction. He was tall, attractive in a rather harsh way, and clearly interested in her. His approval was balm to her wounded spirit. She dropped her gaze in the manner Lady Emily had shown her, but let her mouth curve just a little at the corners to signal that she was not entirely displeased with his attention.

The music had come to an end. Justin took hold of her arm once more, steering her to the side of the room. It was his intention to restore her to his mother’s care, but they were waylaid by the man who had been staring so particularly at Annelise.

‘Good evening, Saintjohn,’ the man said, his dark eyes giving Annelise such a hot look that she was overcome with confusion. ‘Will you not introduce me to your beautiful companion? Madam, I am overwhelmed. They told me there was new star in the heavens but I did not believe them…until I saw you.’

‘God damn it!’ Justin said, firing up immediately. ‘No, I shall not introduce you, Rathbone. This lady wishes to have nothing to do with you or your kind. Lay a finger on her and I shall kill you.’

A sneer curled the other man’s lips. He bowed mockingly towards Annelise. ‘Forgive me, I did not know he had put his mark on you—but should you tire of his clumsy attentions I am Earl Rathbone, always at your service.’

He walked away before either she or Justin could answer. Annelise was the first to recover from the shock. She tipped her head to one side, gazing naughtily up at her guardian.

‘Was he one of the gentlemen you meant when you warned me earlier, sir? He seemed to imagine I was your mistress—I wonder why? How could he have made such a mistake?’

‘No doubt my mother has kept you informed of my misdemeanours,’ Justin said, amused despite himself. He gave her a look meant to quell her impertinence. That look in her eye was too challenging to be innocent. She was attempting to flirt with him, but he would not be drawn. ‘I do not pretend to have led a blameless life, Mistress Woodward—but I am a man. You are a woman and as yet unmarried. If you do not wish to be thought spoilt goods, you will stay well clear of Rathbone and his kind.’

‘And when I am married?’ Annelise was beginning to enjoy herself. If he was angry with her, so much the better. He might be her guardian, but Lady Emily had told her she had a right to her own opinions and she was determined not to be crushed by his disapproval. Especially as she had done nothing to deserve it! Besides, if he was angry, he was not indifferent. ‘May I choose my own friends, then, sir?’

‘You would be a fool to choose Rathbone even then,’ Justin said, glaring at her. He was no longer amused. Had she not a grain of sense in her head? ‘There are men who make women happy—and those who care only for themselves. I would not like to see you at the mercy of such a monster.’

‘You need not be concerned,’ Annelise said, a husky laugh escaping her as she discovered how easy it was to provoke him. ‘I do not particularly care for the Earl.’

‘We must be thankful you have sense enough for that,’ he said, and would have continued in the same vein had not two men come up to them at that very moment. ‘Ralph…Robert,’ he said, and suddenly he was smiling as he turned to Annelise. ‘I believe you know these gentlemen? My friends—I would like to introduce you to my ward, Mistress Woodward.’

‘Oddsfish!’ Ralph exclaimed as he took a second look at her. ‘I’ll be damned if it isn’t the little Puritan wench…’ Seeing Justin’s quick frown, he amended his tone, becoming instantly respectful. ‘I beg your pardon, Mistress Woodward. Your beauty has robbed me of what little wits I had, and Justin will tell you they were never of the best order.’

Annelise liked the way he turned the jest against himself. Nothing could deny the fact that he was ill-favoured, and at their first meeting she had not liked him, but now she sensed the warmth of his nature and that he was her guardian’s true friend.

‘I shall forgive you,’ she said, giving him a smile that would have melted harder hearts than poor Ralph’s. He fell instantly in love with her, knew his cause was hopeless, and vowed then and there to serve her as a friend. ‘Providing you will dance with me. This is my first time at Court, sir—and I would make the most of it.’

‘Mistress, I would die for you.’ Ralph swept her a reverent bow. ‘But dance I cannot—unless you wish me to crush your toes?’ He turned to Sir Robert Harris. ‘I dare say Rob here would be glad to serve where I cannot?’

‘Gladly,’ Sir Robert said at once. Like Ralph, he had fallen immediately under Annelise’s spell, but, unlike his wiser friend, he did not know his cause was hopeless. ‘You could not wish to dance with a clumsy bear when I am here to do your bidding.’

‘Then Ralph shall bring me some wine when we have done,’ Annelise said, her smile embracing them both. She laid her hand on the younger man’s arm. ‘Come, sir. I would have news of Cambridgeshire. Tell me, how do you go on with the restoration of your estates?’

Ralph stood with Justin as the two went off, clearly in harmony with one another. He saw the way his friend clenched his jaw and guessed at at least a part of his thoughts. Justin was attracted to the wench himself, though perhaps he was not yet fully aware of his feelings towards her.

‘Surprising, isn’t it? One would not have thought it from our first sight of her—but she is a heartbreaker, a born courtesan,’ he remarked. ‘I am not sure if she realises her power just now—but give her time and she will have us all her slaves.’

‘My mother says Lady Woodward was much the same in her youth,’ replied Justin, a nerve flicking in his throat. ‘I was concerned that her spirit might have been broken—but now I fear she will need a tight rein if she is not to bring herself to grief.’

‘Surely not?’ Ralph said mildly. ‘She is merely trying her legs, like a newborn foal. She could be gentled to the bridle, Justin.’

‘All women are faithless,’ he replied with a wry look at his friend. ‘It would be a wasted effort to try. No, I desire only that she should have a care for her reputation until she is safely wed—after that she may go to hell in her own way.’

Ralph stared as Justin walked off, leaving the ballroom without a backward glance. He had sometimes wondered what drove his friend of late. What was he looking for—why so bitter? He had always been quick to fire up, but he had also known how to laugh at adversity and himself.

It was true that Justin had been forged in the heat of battle, that his childhood had been unhappy—but many had. Children of the aristocracy were left to the care of a nurse, and the sons of the house often spent half their life in the household of a stranger, to learn of duty and to serve. Justin was not alone in that, nor in having been forced to live as an exile for years. He had always in the past possessed a strong sense of humour; surely this anger could not merely be because he thought all women cast in the same mould as his mother?

Something had happened to Justin—but what?

Had he already begun to suffer the pangs of unrequited love? Ralph had fallen for the little Puritan wench instantly, but it was the kind of love which was as happy to serve as to possess. Justin would love very differently. He would need to own…he would demand perfection.

‘And where, pray, is my ward this noon?’ Justin asked of his mother. He had found her alone in the small salon overlooking the garden at the back of the house, and bent to kiss her cheek. ‘I wish to speak with her.’

‘Do not frown so,’ Lady Emily replied, smiling inwardly as she saw his impatient look. As a child he had been quick, impatient—but so loving! Even now, there were times when he showed her a careless affection. ‘There is not the least need for this stern mood, Justin. Indeed, it is not like you to take such a moral stand. Why should you deny her the pleasures you would not deny others? Annelise has done nothing that you could possibly disapprove of—and at this moment she is walking by the river, accompanied by your own friends.’

‘Why did you not go with her?’

Lady Emily arched her brows in surprise. ‘A servant is attending her. Surely you do not imagine her to be in danger, either moral or physical, with Ralph there? He is a gentleman, Justin—and, unless I mistake the matter, cares for her.’

‘She is safe enough with him,’ he agreed. He took up a quill and twisted it between his fingers. ‘Robert is fool enough for anything, but I suppose I may trust Ralph as much as any man.’

‘I suppose you may.’ Lady Emily hid her amusement. This from a man who had hitherto shown no sign of caring for anything or anyone in particular!

Justin looked at her, his manner becoming less tense. ‘Do you need anything? Have you enough money?’

‘You are always generous. I want for nothing in the material sense, thank you.’

He nodded. ‘Who are you writing to, Mother?’

‘A friend—no one you care for.’

‘A lover, I imagine.’ He smiled as she did not deny it, then wandered away to stare out at the gardens, which stretched down towards the riverbank. The river itself was hidden from his view by shrubs and trees, but he could picture it in his mind. Somewhere out there, Annelise was strolling with his friends. He was amused despite himself, despite the mood that had come upon him of late. She had them both eating out of her hands as though they were puppies at her beck and call. They were both devoted to her, ready to do her bidding at the flicker of an eyelid. She had won them both completely within the space of a few days. ‘Have you never loved anyone, Mother?’ he asked without turning round.

‘I have loved you, Justin.’ He made no reply, but she saw by the way he held himself that he did not quite believe her. ‘I might have come to love your father. I was fifteen when they married me to him. He took me for the dowry I brought him. He had his mistresses even then. I was the brood mare he needed to give himself an heir, no more. Once you were born he hardly bothered with me. Do you wonder that I found pleasure elsewhere?’

The quill snapped between Justin’s fingers. He would not look at her as he said, ‘Excuse me, Mother. I believe I see Mistress Woodward returning. I shall go to meet her.’

‘Justin…’

He did not look round as she called his name. Lady Emily sighed. As a boy, Justin had adored her. He had been such a loving, loveable child—until one summer’s afternoon, when he had discovered her in the garden wrapped in her lover’s arms. He had turned against her from that moment, becoming prone to moods and sudden fits of temper and causing her so much trouble that she had given in to his father’s demands that he should be sent away to the house of a relative, where he would complete his education.

She would never forget the look he had given her as he was taken away, a look that had spoken of betrayal and a broken heart. She had not seen him again until he had returned to join his father and fight for King Charles I—and by then he had been so changed she had not known him. The moods had gone, but there was a carelessness about him that disturbed her. He seemed to care for no one and nothing, though his manners were those of the perfect courtier—always gallant, always laughing and ready to rise to a challenge, as though his life meant nothing to him.

She often wondered what might have happened if she had kept him with her…but of course that had not been possible.