Tallie's Knight Part 5

The thought filled Tallie with glee--she would let them all wait. and wait. and wait. And they would marvel at her temerity in making her future husband wait, for of course it would never occur to any of them that she could be so foolish as to refuse such a prize!

A prize indeed, Tallie thought scornfully, glancing up at him from under her lashes. As if a handsome face and figure and a wealthy purse were everything!

Yes, she would make him, and everyone else, wait. And then, just when everyone was starting to wonder how much longer Lord d'Arenville's temper would stand it, Tallie would carelessly decline his offer. That would serve him right! How his pride would suffer--the great Lord d'Arenville, prize of the marriage mart, courted and pursued by every matchmaking mama in the country, rejected by the plain and insignificant poor relation!

"The banns would be called immediately and the wedding set for three weeks from now. Would that be enough time for you to organise your bride clothes?" said Lord d'Arenville.

Tallie blinked up at him in mocking surprise. Was that a question he was asking? Something he didn't know? An arrange menthe hadn't made?

Something for her to comment on? Amazing.She stood up."Lord d'Arenville. I thank you for your very... surprising... offer of marriage. May I consider my reply?" Without waiting for his response, Tallie hurried on, "Thank you. I will let you know my answer as soon as is convenient."

Magnus's jaw dropped.

She walked to the door, opened it, paused, turned back to face him and smiled sweetly.

"Until then, may I suggest you make no irrevocable arrangements?"

Chapter Three.

ell, what did he say? It was a hum, was it not? " Laet.i.tia dragged Tallie into a nearby anteroom.

"No, I am afraid it was not," said Tallie reluctantly.

"You were perfectly correct, Cousin, he thought to marry me."

Laet.i.tia caught the tense Tallie used and pounced eagerly.

"But he has changed his mind?"

Tallie knew she had to choose her words carefully, so as not to

exacerbate her cousin's volatile temper any further. She was skatingon very thin ice as it was."No, not exactly.""I knew it!" Laet.i.tia stamped her foot.

"He is such a selfish wretch!How could he put me in such a position? Each girl out there was indaily expectation of being made an offer! " She glared at Tallie.

"Each one a diamond of the first water, an heiress or a duke's relative--and he chooses youV Tallie nodded, ignoring the insult. She understood how foolish her cousin felt. She even felt some sympathy for her. Lord d'Arenville was an arrogant, selfish, thoughtless boot.

"It is all right. Cousin," she said soothingly."I intend to refuse him."Laet.i.tia froze. She stared, stupefied. Her face went white beneath the rouge."What did you say?" she whispered."I am going to refuse him." Tallie smiled rea.s.suringly.

"Refuse MagnusT Tallie nodded."Yes.""You--to refuse my cousin Magnus? Lord d'Arenville?"Tallie nodded again."Absolutely. I have no wish to marry him, so there is nothing for you to be upset--' " Of all the brazen effrontery! You arrogant little

b.i.t.c.h! "

Tallie took a step backwards, unnerved by the fury she saw in her cousin's face.

"Who do you think you are to refuse my cousin Magnus'I You--a complete nonent.i.ty! A mere Robinson'. Why, he is so far above the likes of you that he is the sun to your, your..." Laet.i.tia waved her hand in frustration, unable to find a suitable comparison to convey to Tallie just how far beneath him she was.

"How dare you think to humiliate me in this fashion?"

"But, Cousin, how does my refusing Lord d'Arenville humiliate you?"

interrupted Tallie, confused by her cousin's abrupt volte-face.

"I can see how choosing me instead of your--' " Do not for one minute

dare to gloat, you insolent hussy! "

"I am not gloating," said Tallie indignantly.

"But I don't understand.

Surely if I refuse him it saves you the embarra.s.sment of people knowing

he preferred me to your friends? We can say that your guestsmisunderstood. "Laet.i.tia threw up her hands."She even has the bra.s.s to boast of her conquest!" she muttered."Mortifying enough that my cousin chooses a shabby little n.o.body over my friends, but for the n.o.body to refuse him! No. No! It is too much!"

She turned to face Tallie, hands on hips.

"Little did I think when I accepted you into my household that it wouldcome to this. You will pack your bags and be out of here within thehour. John Coachman will take you back to the village where you livedbefore you insinuated yourself into my home." Laet.i.tia's voice waslow, furious and vengeful, her expression implacable.

Tallie stared at her, shocked. There was no hysteria in her cousin's manner now.

"You ... you cannot mean it, surely, Cousin?"

Laet.i.tia sniffed and turned her face away.

Tallie tried again.

"Please, Cousin, reconsider. There is nothing for me in the village.The school closed down when Miss Fisher died. And... you know I haveno money."

"You should have considered that before you set your cap at my cousin."

"I did not set my cap at him. I never even spoke to him! It was Lordd'Arenville who--' " I am not interested in your excuses. You have onehour. " Laet.i.tia was adamant.

Tallie's mouth was dry.

"You cannot mean it, surely, Cousin?" she began.

"I have nowhere to go, no one to turn to."

"And whose fault is that, pray? Had I known before what an ungrateful,scheming jade you were, I would never have taken you into my home. Thesubject is closed. One hour." Laet.i.tia swept towards the door.

"Cousin!" called Tallie. Laet.i.tia paused and glanced disdainfullyback. Tallie swallowed. She had been about to beg, but she could see from her cousin's expression that her cousin was hoping for just that.

No, she would not beg. In her current mood Laet.i.tia would enjoy seeing her grovel, and it would do no good; Tallie could see that now.

"Will you write me a letter of recommendation so that I may at least seek work as a governess?"

"You have a nerve!" spat Laet.i.tia.

"No, I will not!"

Magnus strode through the damp gra.s.s, snapping his whip angrily against his booted leg. He'd planned to go for a long ride, but had found himself too impatient to wait for a groom to saddle his horse so he'd gone for a walk instead. The gardens were looking quite pretty for the time of year. He stopped and stared at a clump of snowdrops, their heads nodding gently in the faint breeze.

He recalled the way she'd sat there, listening to his words with downcast eyes, all soft and submissive, her pale nape exposed, vulnerable and appealing. Her hair was not plain brown after all, but a soft honey colour, with a tendency to curl. And when she'd looked up at him at the end he'd realised that she had rather pretty eyes, a kind of deep amber, with long dark lashes. And her skin looked smooth and soft.

Yes, he'd been pleased with his choice. Right up until the moment she'd spoken and revealed that flash of. temper? Pique?

Magnus lashed at the nodding snowdrops with his whip, sending them flying. He stared unseeing at the carnage.

The chit was playing games with him! Make no irrevocable arrangements.

There'd been a malicious kind of pleasure in the way she'd said it, sweet smile notwithstanding. He strode on, frowning.

For almost the whole of the house party the girl had been quiet, docile and obedient. He was convinced it was her usual state--it must be--how else had she survived living with Lae- t.i.t ia And she lived here with the children all year round without complaint.

No. He must have imagined her anger. He'd taken her by surprise, that was all. He should have given her a little more warning of his intentions. And perhaps he'd been a little clumsy--he had never before offered marriage, and his unexpected nervousness had thrown him a little off balance.

He should have made a flowery speech and then a formal offer, instead of rushing into his plans. Females set store by that kind of thing.

She was quite right to put him off for a time. It was what every young girl was schooled to do, pretending to think it over, as a true lady should.

His mouth twitched as he remembered the way she'd held her chin so high. For all the world as if she might refuse. Cheeky little miss!

The small flash of spirit did not displease him. A spirited dam usually threw spirited foals, and he wouldn't want his children to be dull. Not at all. And he'd seen the mettle in her when she'd flown to little Georgie's side, like a young lioness defending her cub.

And spirited defiance was permissible, even desirable in the defence of children. It was a little disconcerting for it to be directed against himself, perhaps, but he was not displeased, he told himself again.

So why could he not shake the feeling that he'd reached to pluck a daisy and had grasped a nettle instead? He savagely beheaded another clump of his cousin's flowers and strode on, indifferent to the damage the wet gra.s.s was doing to the shine on his boots.

"Magnus, what on earth are you doing to my garden?"

Laet.i.tia's voice jerked Magnus out of his reverie. He glanced back the way he'd come and flinched when he realised the havoc his whip had wrought.

"Sorry, Tish. I didn't realise--' " Oh, never mind that. I need to talk to you at once, but do come away from that wet gra.s.s; it will ruin my slippers. Here, into the summerhouse, where we can be quite private. "

Laet.i.tia settled herself on a bench and regarded her cousin severely. "How could you, Magnus? In front of all my guests! I could just kill you! You have been extremely foolish, but I think we can pa.s.s it off as a jest--not in the best taste, of course, but a jest all the same. In any case, I have got rid of the girl--for which, I may add, you owe me your undying grat.i.tude. Although, knowing you, you will be odiously indifferent as you always--' Magnus cut to the heart of the rambling speech.

"What do you mean, " got rid of the girl"? You cannot mean Miss Robinson, surely?"

"Miss Robinson indeed!" Laet.i.tia sniffed."She is lucky I even acknowledged her as cousin. Well, that is all atan end now. She will be gone within the hour!"

"Gone? Where to?""The village she grew up in. I forget its name."Magnus frowned."What? Is there some family emergency? I understood she was an orphan."

"Oh, she is. Not a living soul left, except for me, and that's at an end after her base ingrat.i.tude and presumption."

"Then why is she going to this village?"

Laet.i.tia wrinkled her nose.

"I believe she spent virtually all her life in some stuffy little

school there. Her father was in the diplomatic service, you know, and

travelled a great deal."

Poor little girl, thought Magnus. He knew what it was like to be sent away, unwanted, at a young age.