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her womanhood. And before they were done, she had drawn from
Radbourne the promise of an exceptionally fine emerald bracelet that
she had seen in London. He was, moreover, to take her walking. If
Maggie had her way, all of Bath would know the viscount was her
property!
Giles had his own reasons for not objecting. Churlish though it might
be, he hoped Anthea would see him with Maggie! So, in perfect
accord, the pair soon dressed and Radbourne escorted Mrs. Taggert
along the most-populated thoroughfares of Bath that he could
discover. At one point they passed a jeweler's shop and Giles drew
Maggie inside. There was, after all, the matter of the emeralds.
"I saw the very bracelet I want at Rundell and Rundell in London!"
Maggie protested sharply when she realised what he was about.
"No doubt," Giles agreed. "But I am well aware, my dear, of how you
dislike to be kept waiting for presents. And I've no notion when I shall
be returning to London."
At this Maggie turned wide, angry eyes on the viscount. "I thought
you said you were done with Miss Marwood!"
The jeweler perked up his ears at this mention of a name that was
quite familiar to him. The viscount's next words, however, dashed his
hopes of a juicy tidbit of gossip. "So I am, my dear. My acquaintance
with Miss Marwood always was of the slightest degree, and now it is
terminated altogether. Nevertheless, I feel no urgency in removing
myself from Bath. And when I do go, I thought I might accept
Calder's invitation to visit him in the shires."
There was nothing Mrs. Taggert could say to that, and after scarcely
any further hesitation, she allowed herself to be persuaded to choose a
bracelet. As the elegant trinket was placed on her wrist, Maggie
reminded herself philosophically that a gift in one's possession was
worth any number of promises.
Eventually they returned to the White Hart, where, to Lord
Radbourne's delight, they encountered young Seabrook. "Hullo,
Weylin," he greeted his friend affably. "I believe you've met Mrs.
Taggert? Maggie, you recall Mr. Seabrook?"
Maggie nodded and extended her hand graciously. Oh, yes, she
remembered the boy, all right! "How nice to see you again," she said
in her warmest contralto voice.
"H-how n-nice to see you, ma'am," Weylin stammered.
Radbourne smiled to himself with a sort of vicious satisfaction. There
was no doubt in his mind that Miss Anthea Marwood would be told of
the encounter, and that was what he wished. Aloud he said firmly,
"Upstairs with you, Maggie, my dear. I should like to talk with
Seabrook."
"Will you be coming up later?" Maggie asked archly.
Radbourne hesitated. He had no wish to live in Maggie's pocket, not
even to prove a point to Miss Marwood or her friends. "I think not.
Tomorrow, perhaps," he replied coolly.
There was more than a hint of anger in Maggie's eyes as she snapped,
"Good day, then, my lord!"
Weylin's eyes followed her as she left, and he was recalled to the
present by Radbourne's dry observation, "In London they call her the
Enchantress."
Weylin reddened and he said abruptly, "I had no notion she was here
with you in Bath."
"With me?" The viscount's eyebrows rose. "She is here at the White
Hart and I am staying at York House."
"You know very well what I mean!" Weylin persisted.
"Yes, I know what you mean," Radbourne agreed quietly. "But I
cannot conceive what business it is of yours."
"I'm Miss Thea's friend!" Weylin retorted hotly.
Radbourne stared at Weylin, his attention arrested. In a puzzled voice
he said, "Your championship of Miss Marwood seems to be
misplaced, halfling. Or don't you recall the setdown she gave me in
the Pump Room?"
"I do recall it," Weylin agreed evenly.
Radbourne continued to stare at Weylin. "And yet you're still angry
with me," he said slowly. "I ask myself why, but confess I have no
answer. In fac%, I should have expected you to range yourself
indignantly on my side of the snub she dealt me. It is distressing to
discover my judgment of you to have been so mistaken."
"It wasn't mistaken!" Weylin blurted out.
Radbourne's eyebrows rose even higher at this, and the boy hastened
to explain. "I ... I was indignant. I thought Miss Marwood should
have told you why she wouldn't let you speak to Cal. But now I begin
to think Mr. Marwood was right!"
The last few words were spoken bitterly as Weylin's eyes strayed
toward the direction Mrs. Taggert had taken. Quietly Radbourne
asked, "Why did Miss Marwood cut me?"
Weylin hesitated only a moment before he replied. "Because of Cal's
father. He told Miss Thea that if she wanted Cal to stay with her, she
would have to ensure that Cal had not the least acquaintance with
you!"
The viscount considered this. "What about Anthea herself? Is she also
to have nothing to do with me?"
Weylin shrugged. "I don't know."
Once more the viscount was pensive. After several minutes of silence
he spoke. "Weylin, I should like you to do me a favour!"
A short time later, Giles sat in a hired hack outside Letitia Balder s
lodgings. It was a new experience for him, waiting to see if someone
would accept a visit from him. It was an experience he did not in the
least enjoy. At last young Seabrook emerged and crossed over to the
hack. "She'll see you," he said quietly.
"Thank you," Radbourne said. "And I shall see you another time."
Radbourne watched as Weylin set off on foot. He took a deep breath,
alighted from the carriage, and paid the driver. Then resolutely he
crossed the narrow street and rapped on Mrs. Balder's door. All too
soon, it seemed to the viscount, he was bowing to Mrs. Balder as she
looked him over appraisingly. "You are very good to see me,"
Radbourne said at last.
"Anthea Marwood is my very good friend," Letty Balder replied
enigmatically. "Won't you be seated and tell me what this is about?"
"Thank you." Giles hesitated, then plunged on. "Perhaps you are
aware that I have an . . . an interest in Miss Marwood and that her
brother, Castor Marwood, does not approve of the connection. Or so
young Seabrook informs me. I had hoped your knowledge of the
situation was more complete than his."
Letty Balder's eyes met Radbourne's and she spoke very deliberately.
"Castor Marwood has given orders that so far as it is in her power to
do so, Thea is to prevent any encounter between you and her niece.
So far as I can discover, the ban is only on Calandra, and it occurs to
me, my lord, that if you could contrive to encounter Anthea when she
was not in the company of her niece, there could be no objection to
that."
A tiny frown appeared between his eyes as Giles asked slowly, "Are
you telling me that Miss Marwood wishes me to do so?"
Mrs. Balder hesitated. "I daresay your question comes of not knowing
Thea very well. Anything of a deceptive nature is repugnant to her. If
we could, however, present her with a fait accompli, I think Thea
would not reject it."
"We?" Radbourne's eyebrows rose.
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