Simon Bingley's Resolve, page 9
Louisa often left her alone at home, since Caroline made a point of calling at a time when she knew that her sister was routinely engaged to meet with her latest paramour. At her age, she had still not given up her affairs, which Caroline thought rather undignified, to say nothing of desperate. Mind you, Louisa had been foolish to marry a man of Hurst’s limited charm and physical presence. Caroline had warned her against him, but Louisa had been blinded by his wealth and the desire to take up the position within society’s ranks that marriage to such a man would afford her. She had never admitted to Caroline that she regretted her rash decision, but her string of affairs with increasingly younger men from lower walks of life who were attracted by Louisa’s wealth told their own story.
It suited Caroline’s purpose to have Louisa out of the way, and like so many other things, she pretended not to know about her decadent behaviour. Mr Hurst was always at his club in the afternoons, leaving Caroline free to snoop to her heart’s content.
‘Well, well,’ she said aloud, still observing Wickham’s son as he threw back his head and laughed at something Spence said to him. ‘I wonder if that young man knows just how badly his poor papa was abused by this family. Someone really ought to enlighten him.’
Caroline had a genuine smile on her lips as she made her ways downstairs. Her patience, she sensed, was finally on the point of being rewarded. Once again she would recruit a Wickham to aid her cause, only this time she would make sure that he didn’t fail her.
*
Albert Rochdale rolled onto his back and took the young woman in his arms with him. She landed on top of him, laughing and protesting half-heartedly. Twenty years his junior, the pretty young widow was everything he had ever wanted in a woman and he was a fair way to falling in love with her. He had never loved anything or anyone in his life before, being far too ambitious to make a name for himself in the field of medicine to have time for personal attachments, but he found that realisation both startling and strangely satisfying. Everything he had done in his life, he sensed, had been building up to this moment.
Marianne was cunning, ambitious, and totally dedicated to Albert. He ran his hands over her body and she giggled as the effects of the cannabis they had smoked earlier took hold and caused her to shed her inhibitions.
That was how Albert had first come to know Marianne. His use of cannabis in the treatment of his patients who suffered from delusional paranoia had proven very beneficial. He had used his wife as a subject for his experiments, and the changes in her behaviour had been remarkable. He kept her supplied with the biscuits she liked, their sweetness masking the citrusy taste of the drug. It wouldn’t suit his purpose to have her lucid again, and enquiring too closely about his habits. She had served her purpose. Her situation had interested him on a professional level. Her fortune had tempted him to propose and had enabled him to enhance his position as a doctor to the rich and well-heeled. Her money, wisely invested, had also funded his research to the point at which his opinions were actively sought after by leaders in his field, his knowledge universally respected.
Now he had other plans.
Plans that Marianne had suggested when she offered to supply him with all the cannabis that he would ever need to continue with his research. Before her husband’s mysterious death in Jamaica, the couple had lived in that country and Marianne had all the connections, in partnership with another man, to make the supply chain possible. It didn’t take Albert long to put aside his conscience—such as it was—and accept that there was a healthy profit to be made if he sold off the excess to those who had become dependent upon it.
Marianne explained that they could do this through a network of dealers that she herself had established in England, thereby protecting their own identities and preventing her partner from swindling her. The profits assured him of a steadily increasing fortune that would enable him to keep Marianne in the style to which she deserved to become accustomed. She had taught him to be ruthless and put their own interests first. After a lifetime of genuinely trying to help others and not receiving the same accolades for the breakthroughs he had made as other doctors—advances in the field of diseases of the mind were not generally acknowledged—he felt that he had earned the right.
Of course, he couldn’t leave Caroline high and dry; he wasn’t quite that ruthless. But then again, if she underwent a serious setback and became a danger to herself and others, he would have no alternative but to commit her to an asylum. Charles Bingley and Louisa Hurst might raise mild objections, but they both trusted Albert’s judgement and were more than willing to leave Caroline’s welfare in his capable hands, glad to be absolved of the responsibility.
That was why he had gradually increased her dependency upon cannabis and ensured that her maid never left her alone. Not that she had any friends upon whom she could call, but that wasn’t the point. She was rational for the most part, but Albert was gradually increasing her dosage and her cravings would have become more intense as a result. Albert intended to introduce her to stronger hallucinogenic drugs soon, which would make her behave like a lunatic in front of her sister and the household staff. Once she was addicted, he would withdraw them again and her irrational behaviour would make her a danger to herself and others, leaving commitment as the only viable option.
Albert squeezed Marianne’s waist, pleased that his meticulous plans were going so well.
‘When are you expecting Molineux?’ he asked.
‘Tired of my company already?’ she suggested in a teasing tone.
‘You know better than that.’ He kissed the end of her nose. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you, my precious, but we need to make sure that our supply line from his plantation is secured.’
‘It has been secure enough up to now,’ Marianne replied.
‘Because you have not asked for the quantities we intend to import. I need to be sure that Molineux can keep his end of the bargain. With him permanently back in England, he may lose control.’
‘I’m told he has people he trusts managing his interests in Jamaica.’
‘Hmm.’ Albert knew that managers left unsupervised too long tended to either become lax in the execution of their duties or ambitious on their own behalves. He needed to assure himself that Molineux had a firm grip on his supply line. More importantly, he needed to ensure that his own name was not connected to Molineux’s in the event of the authorities becoming suspicious.
‘I hear tell that he intends to marry the Dayton girl.’
Albert had no idea to whom Marianne referred, but presumed it must be the daughter of one of the plantation owners in Jamaica. Marianne had sold up and scurried back to England after her husband’s death, and Molineux—an acquaintance of Albert’s from his London club—had introduced them after Albert had mentioned in passing his use of cannabis as part of his medical research. It was broadly accepted that Marianne’s husband had been set upon by slaves who resented not being granted their freedom. The slaves on his plantation were blamed without, as far as Albert was aware, any definitive proof of their guilt being established, and the ringleaders were executed. Marianne seldom referred to the incident, and Albert wasn’t sufficiently interested to ask. The man had been considerably older than Marianne and she did not mourn his death, especially since he hadn’t left her well provided for. The bulk of his estate had been left to his son from his first marriage. Albert intended to treat her a great deal better than that.
The cannabis came into Jamaica from Iran, he understood, and was shipped back to England on boats laden with sugar. Only Molineux knew the precise details, and Albert intended to meet the man for himself to agree terms with him and assure himself that the supply chain would continue to run smoothly.
‘Do you think that this time…?’
Marianne placed a protective hand over her belly and looked wistfully up at Albert. He knew that she was desperate to have a child, his child. Caroline had felt the same way, but Albert had taken measures to ensure that she could never conceive. A child had no place in his plans. But meeting Marianne had caused him to have a change of heart. He would give her absolutely anything her precious heart desired.
‘Perhaps we had better try again,’ he said, sweeping in to kiss her with a wolfish smile on his lips. ‘It wouldn’t do to take chances.’
She giggled and agreed that leaving such an important matter to chance would be negligent. Thoughts of Molineux’s impending arrival were temporarily eradicated from Albert’s mind as he aroused Marianne’s passions. His plans were coming together nicely, and now he had been rewarded for his generous efforts to improve the lot of the insane through the gift of Marianne. He was without question the luckiest man on God’s earth.
Chapter Seven
Simon dressed for dinner, still confused by the dramatic appearance of his aunt and the way it had affected his parents so adversely. His father remained unyieldingly furious. His mother was upset and anxious—a rare situation that probably exacerbated his father’s anger.
Simon tied his neckcloth, unable to shake the feeling that his aunt was here to cause trouble. His father had told him that she never travelled alone and was seldom left to her own devices due to her fragile state of mind. She seemed robust and self-assured enough to Simon, but for the slight dullness he’d noticed in her eyes, but presumably she was putting on an act.
It was baffling. Nadia considered that Mrs Rochdale—Simon couldn’t bring himself to think of her as a relative and had no intention of addressing her in any way other than formally—had come with a specific purpose in mind. Her history indicated that she was adept at creating mayhem. She enjoyed being the centre of attention and clearly bore the Darcys a massive grudge. Simon felt increasingly concerned and went in search of his father, anxious for further clarification. He found him putting the finishing touches to his toilette in a distracted manner. He smiled when Simon entered his room and dismissed his valet.
‘You have questions, I dare say.’ Father sighed. ‘I will answer them if I can, but Caroline has always been a law unto herself and I am as baffled by her appearance, and her nerve in daring to come here at all for that matter, as you must be.’ He lifted a shoulder. ‘Perhaps she has forgotten that she is no longer welcome at Pemberley.’
‘That I somehow doubt. Anyway, how is mother?’ Simon asked, wondering if his father realised that he was inventing excuses for his sister, perhaps because he still felt responsible for her. Simon’s own sisters had both married young, so there had never been any question of him assuming a similar responsibility. His father hadn’t been so fortunate, and had never found it easy to be firm with any of his own children if they transgressed. Presumably a strong-willed sister had run rings around him, and Simon wondered if he blamed his own lenient conduct for Mrs Rochdale’s subsequent behaviour.
‘Your mother is attempting to be strong for my sake, and I am doing the same thing for hers.’ His father’s chuckle owed little to humour. ‘Such is the way of devoted married couples.’
‘I shall have to take your word for it.’
‘I tell you true, Simon, I don’t like this one little bit.’ His father frowned and struck the wainscoting with a clenched fist. ‘Caroline is up to something, you just mark my words. But what and why, after the passage of so much time, is a mystery to me.’ He shook his head. ‘I am at a loss to make sense of it. I thought we had put those days well and truly behind us.’
‘You have set matters in hand to find her husband, I assume.’
‘I have already sent an express to Rochdale’s secretary, but the fact of the matter is that I’ve never taken to the man. I tried not to show it and managed to convince myself it was a good thing that Caroline had found a man to love and care for her. In truth I was glad to be absolved of all responsibility for her. I didn’t even attend their wedding. I just couldn’t bring myself to go. It was too soon after…well, everything that had happened here. Anyway, they set up home in London and I only visited under sufferance, hiding my misgivings about Rochdale, but still…’ Father threw up his hands. ‘There, now you know.’
‘You?’ Simon permitted his surprise to show. ‘You find something to like in everyone you meet, so if you dislike Rochdale there must be something fundamentally bad about the man.’
‘As a general rule I’m a compliant chap, I’d be the first to agree, but with age I have become more discerning. I suppose the business with Caroline taught me the value of caution. I had absolutely no idea that she had formed an attachment to your uncle Darcy, which does not make me appear very observant, or mindful of my duties as head of our family. Caroline was my responsibility. I should have taken more notice and nipped that attraction in the bud. Not that Caroline would have listened to me, but at least I would have had the satisfaction of knowing I’d tried. Or I could have warned Darcy, or…something. I knew my friend didn’t look upon her in that light.’
‘The ladies notice these things,’ Simon said. ‘It is an area in which they excel. Perhaps my aunt Louisa should have warned you. I am sure she knew which way the wind blew.’
His father shrugged, and having tied his neckcloth to his satisfaction, fell into a chair. ‘Perhaps. But the fact remains that I blame myself. That’s why when Rochdale, a renowned professor of medicine with a specialist interest in disorders of the mind, took more than a professional interest in your aunt I was…well, as I just said, I was glad to be shot of the responsibility. By then I had my own estate to manage and Emma had already been born. My priorities had changed and it was a relief to put Caroline to the back of my mind.’
‘You don’t like the man, yet you owe him a debt of gratitude.’ Simon nodded. ‘That makes sense. I recall meeting him once when I was home from school and he was on a brief visit, but I had no idea about…well, about the situation with my aunt.’
‘It’s not that I don’t like him, precisely.’ Father frowned as he attempted to articulate his concerns. ‘I can’t say exactly what it is about him that troubles me. He has made quite a name for himself in his field and is highly respected by his peers. On my duty visits to Caroline, she has always seemed contented and in command of her faculties, but even so…’
‘I shall make up my own mind when he arrives to take his wife home.’
‘Do that. Oh and, Simon.’
‘Yes, Father, what is it?’
‘Be careful of Caroline. Don’t be taken in by her. I noticed earlier that she tried to single you out. There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for that. You are, after all, her nephew and she might simply want to know you better. But she might also think of you as a potential ally, a voice within the family to support her cause, whatever that might be.’
‘Don’t worry sir, I have her measure. She will not divide us, nor will she persuade me to plead her case with you if it’s a full reconciliation she seeks. Even so, if she wants to talk to me, perhaps I should encourage her to be frank. That way we will have a better idea of her purpose.’
‘Yes, I suppose that might work—but as I say, have a care. She can be very convincing and you are much like I was at your age. You see the best in everyone.’
‘Not really. The attention I get from unmarried females for all the wrong reasons has taught me the value of restraint, and I no longer accept anyone at face value.’
‘I am relieved to hear you say so. Now, come along.’ Father stood and slapped Simon’s shoulder. ‘We had best go down or we will be late. There is to be fishing tomorrow, I understand, but I don’t suppose I can persuade you to join us.’
Simon shuddered. ‘Sorry, Father, but you know I don’t have the patience for it.’
‘I’ll let you into a little secret. Most of us tend to fall asleep beneath the nearest stand of trees and it’s the keepers who remain alert and land the fish. We just take the credit for the catch.’
Simon laughed. ‘I would never have guessed.’
They entered the drawing room to find Simon’s mother in close conversation with his aunt Lizzy. No one else was down. Both ladies looked up and smiled at them.
‘Are you all right?’ Father addressed his question to both ladies, but his attention was all for his wife.
‘I was just reassuring Jane about Caroline’s appearance,’ Aunt Lizzy replied. ‘I have already told Will I am glad our shocking secrets are out in the open. Spence has agreed to inform Tobias Porter, just so that there can be no misunderstandings if rumours reach his ears, as rumours so often do when they take on a life of their own and become grossly exaggerated.’
‘I still fail to understand why Caroline felt the need to come here, now of all times,’ Simon’s mother said, frowning.
‘She will be gone again, my dear, just as soon as Albert can be found and made to come and fetch her. But if her presence worries you so much, I will escort her back to London myself.’
‘No, Charles.’ Mother touched his arm. ‘Leave it. I am sure everything will be fine.’
‘Just so long as you are sure. I won’t have you overset for any consideration.’
At that point they were joined by others and the opportunity for further speculation was lost. Simon smiled at his sisters as they entered the room together with their husbands, laughing together at something one of the gentlemen had just said to them.
‘I imagine you wonder what sort of family you married into,’ Father said, ‘which is hardly to be wondered at, given my sister’s rather dramatic entrance.’
‘Had we known, we never would have contemplated such a rash action,’ Ross Enfield replied, earning a playful slap on the arm from his wife, Simon’s sister Ellie.
