Lady Thais Margate's long-lashed blue eyes were filled
with concern. "I did not mean to overset you. Perhaps I
should not have said anything."
Cecily Renato took a deep breath and willed herself to
remain calm. "Oh, no, you were quite right to tell me. It
is just I am rather surprised." Actually she was quite
shocked, but hardly wanted to tell her companion that. "I
will speak to Mariana straight away."
"You must not be too hard on them for it was not a
very...very improper kiss, but I know you would not want
such a thing to happen again. If the wrong persons should
come upon them...one would hate for there to be gossip."
"No. Of course not."
Lady Margate rose in a rustle of fashionable blue silk. "I
must go for I have an appointment very soon, but I wished
to see you the very first thing today. You may be assured
that none of this will pass my lips."
Cecily stood as well. "I know you will not say
anything.'At least she hoped she would not as Cecily
hardly knew Lady Margate, who had leased a house in Avezza
just over a month ago. But the lovely young widow had
already impressedAvezza's residents, both Italian and
English, by donating to several charitable causes as well
as by heading up a committee to repair the damage done to
the church of Santa Sofia during the French occupation.
Lady Margate took Cecily's hand. Although Cecily was not
particularly tall, Lady Margate's fine-boned features and
delicate build made Cecily feel ungainly next to her. Lady
Margate smiled kindly. "You are such a devoted mother. I
have no doubt you will do the right thing, although you
must not be too harsh with your stepdaughter or Lord
Ballister. The very first time I saw them together I could
sense a special sympathy between them. It is most
unfortunate that the Duke of Severin is unlikely to allow
them to marry. I have heard from Severin himself that he
wishes to procure an heiress for his cousin, preferably
the daughter of a peer. There is a certain earl's daughter
that I have heard...but that is only a rumour." She
regarded Cecily with sympathetic eyes. "It would not be
easy for your stepdaughter to live in England. The society
is so very different, as you know."
"Yes, it is different." Cecily attempted to suppress the
twinge of resentment she felt at Lady Margate's
implication that Severin would not consider Mariana
suitable for his cousin. "I will see you out." 'That will
not be necessary.You must give your lovely daughter my
regards. And Signora Zanetti.'She pressed Cecily's hand
before releasing it, her grip surprisingly strong. Cecily
accompanied her across the small salon to the staircase,
which led to the ground floor.
She watched Lady Margate depart, her thoughts in turmoil.
Mariana and Lord Ballister? How had this happened when she
had made certain they never met except in company? Why had
she not watched Mariana more closely last night at Lady
Margate's conversazione?
Because she had been certain that Mariana's tendre for
Lord Ballister had faded just as she was certain Lord
Ballister's initial interest in her stepdaughter had died
away. So when Mariana had gone to the garden with her
friend, Teresa Carasco, and Teresa's brother, Cecily had
not been concerned. Nor had she worried very much when
Mariana had been unusually quiet and preoccupied on the
carriage ride back home.
"Why was she here? That woman?"
Cecily jumped when her sister-in-law spoke from behind
her. Barbarina had the disconcerting habit of suddenly
appearing and startling her.
She turned. "Lady Margate was here to pay a visit, that is
all."
"She is not good. She brings nothing but trouble." 'Surely
not." When Barbarina merely stared at her, she tried
again. "At least not today. I must speak to Mariana now."
"She came to tell you that the English lord has kissed
Mariana, no? You must hope that she does not tell anyone
else. Such as his cousin, the Duke. Or Rafaele."
"I have no idea why she would want to do so." Cecily
said. "Please, Barbarina, do not eavesdrop."
"What can I do when you hold your conversations in the
salon where everyone can hear?" She shrugged and fixed her
dark gaze on Cecily. "You must send Mariana away before
Rafaele learns of this. It will not please him to discover
that you have allowed the cousin of the Duke to kiss
Mariana."
"Rafaele is in Verona so it is unlikely he will hear of
this. At any rate, nothing more will happen."
"You must hope not. For if Rafaele does, he will come and
challenge the Lord Ballister to a duel. If that happens,
the Duke will come and there will be another fight. In the
end, Rafaele will send Mariana to the convent. Where you
should have sent her as her mother, Caterina, had wished.
Then there would be no need to worry about kisses."
Cecily quelled the sharp pang of hurt she still felt when
Barbarina compared Cecily to her husband Marco's first
wife and Mariana's mother. "I would hope that everyone
would behave in a more civilised manner than that. Why do
you think that they will fight if they meet? Is it because
of something that happened in the past? When the Duke was
here?" This was not the first time since Lord Ballister's
arrival in Avezza that Barbarina had hinted at some sort
of quarrel between Mariana's trustee, Rafaele Vianoli, and
the Duke of Severin, who was Lord Ballister's
guardian. "It would be better if you do not ask more
questions." Cecily bit back her frustration. Barbarina
always lapsed into odd, cryptic pronouncements when she no
longer wished to answer any questions. "Very well. I
won't. For now, I am going to speak to Mariana." She
walked away before she said something she would later
regret. She tried to be patient with Barbarina for, before
he died, Marco had asked her to watch over his older
widowed half-sister. She reminded herself as well that
Barbarina had never really recovered from the discovery
that her beloved husband had died while running off with
another woman. But sometimes it was all she could do to
keep her temper. Particularly at times like this.
Mariana was in her bedchamber. She sat on a chair near the
window and when Cecily entered she looked up from the book
on her lap. Cecily crossed the room and pulled the small
stool near the bed to the chair and sat down. "I must talk
to you."
"Is something wrong, Mama?'From the anxious look on her
daughter's lovely face, she suspected Mariana had a very
good idea of why Cecily was there.
"Lady Margate came to tell me that she found you and Lord
Ballister in an embrace last night. That he kissed you. Is
this true?"
Mariana looked away for an instant before she
answered. "He kissed me and I kissed him back."
Oh, dear. "I do not need to remind you that it is most
improper for young unmarried girls to be alone with a man.
And very improper to exchange a kiss with any man except a
fiancé or a husband. Lord Ballister should know this. He
also must know that he risked your reputation by such
behaviour. You are fortunate that Lady Margate discovered
you and not one of the other guests."
"It is not Si — Lord Ballister's fault. I asked him to
meet me in the garden."
"Why would you do that?" 'I...I wished to talk to
him." 'Have you met him alone like this before?" 'Only
a...a few times."
Cecily tried to hide her shock. "Has he ever done anything
besides kiss you?"
"No. We only talk. He has not kissed me before last night."
Thank God. "Then I must forbid you to see Lord Ballister
again, except in the presence of others. I will not allow
him to ruin your reputation."
"He wants to marry me," Mariana said flatly. Cecily's
heart stopped for a fraction. "Did he tell you that?" she
asked carefully.
"Yes. But he said he would not ask me until I am seventeen
and then he will speak to you."
Cecily drew in a breath. "I see." She felt as if she'd
been hit in the stomach. Did Lord Ballister hope to seduce
Mariana by promising marriage? He did not seem the sort of
young man to do so, but then she had not thought Mariana
would ever arrange a rendezvous with a young man in a dark
garden.
"You will approve, will you not?" Mariana asked. A note of
anxiety had crept into her voice. "You are still young,
too young to think of marriage," she began.
"Mama was seventeen when she married Papa." 'Yes, but they
had known each other since childhood. You have known Lord
Ballister scarcely a month." She hesitated. "It hardly
matters whether I approve or not, for it is unlikely the
Duke of Severin will. Or Rafaele."
"But why not? Because Cousin Raf and the Duke have
quarrelled?"
Cecily started. "How do you know that?" 'Zia told me. But
she would not tell me what the quarrel was about."
A surge of anger shot through Cecily. Barbarina had no
business telling Mariana such a thing. "I am not even
certain they did quarrel. There are other reasons,
however, why a marriage between you and Lord Ballister is
impossible." Mariana stared at her, her expression
stricken. Cecily took her hands. "I am sorry, but you are
scarcely more than a child. Some day you will meet a man
whom you can love, someone more suited to you."
"There will be no one else." Mariana rose and Cecily could
see she was fighting back tears. She walked to the door
and stopped her hand on the handle. "You are wrong. I am
not a child.'She left, her pale quietness more alarming
than if she had burst into tears and run from the room as
she had in the past when angry or upset.
Cecily quelled her impulse to go after Mariana, suspecting
she would only make matters worse. Mixed in with her anger
and worry was fear. Fear that Lord Ballister was more to
her stepdaughter than a young girl's first love; fear that
if Mariana was capable of meeting him alone, she was
capable of something even more rash.
Surely Lord Ballister must realise he could not marry
Mariana without his cousin's consent. He must have some
idea that his cousin wished him to marry an heiress;
although Mariana was not penniless, she was far from
wealthy.
He must know, as well, that Mariana could not marry
without Raf's and Cecily's permission. Although Raf was
Mariana's trustee, Marco had left Mariana in Cecily's care
and had made it clear that both Raf and Cecily were to
approve any potential husband for Mariana.
If Raf and the Duke had indeed quarrelled, it was even
more unlikely either man would approve, thank goodness.
Then she felt guilty for even thinking such a thing when
Mariana was so unhappy. For her own selfish reasons,
Cecily did not want Mariana to marry an Englishman. She
could not bear to have Mariana go away and live in a
country that Cecily could never return to.
Lord Ballister had told Mariana he would wait until she
was seventeen before speaking to Cecily. She assumed he
would wait until then to speak to his cousin as well. She
only hoped that, by that time, Lord Ballister would be
long gone and that Mariana would have recovered from her
infatuation. What if they did not? What if they decided to
run off together? She knew only too well how easy it was
to take such a course.
She could not entertain that possibility. She must speak
to Lord Ballister today and tell him in no uncertain terms
that he was not to see Mariana alone and he was not to
speak of marriage again.