Never Land the First Fish

Chapter Twenty-Five, Part 2

Emily shouldn't have been surprised that she liked the Duchess of Wellbridge—Sally. After all, the duchess was Maddox's friend, yes, and Gills' friend, too. Still, perhaps because of the edge whenever Julia mentioned her, perhaps because of Emily's own jealousy, she had expected the kind of woman who charmed men and put other women into three categories: rivals to be destroyed, servants to be used, or inconsequential, invisible.

Instead, Sally proved to be relaxed and genuine. And ruthlessly honest. "I was prepared to dislike you intensely, you know," she said to Emily, as soon as the men had left the room. "I thought you had bewitched poor Maddox while he was still recovering from his infatuation with me, and I came here to rescue him, but as soon as I saw you together, I knew I was far out. Forgive me?"

Emily could return honesty for honesty. "For caring about Maddox? Nothing to forgive. I doubted it, you know. I thought you'd kept him on a string until you secured the greater title, then brutally abandoned him. I was prepared to hate you, especially if you tried to entangle him again."

Sally laughed, a husky unforced gurgle of sound. "Then we shall forgive one another and be friends. I warn you, though, that David shall continue to be pompous until he gets to know you better." She frowned a little. "Mind you, the so-called Polite World will be difficult if you plan to stay in England once you are wed."

"We have not decided to wed," Emily protested. "Or, at least, I have not. The 'Polite World' will make a feast of the scandal, and I can't do that to Maddox or to his family."

"It won't hurt Maddox if he is overseas with you," Sally pointed out. "I should think, if he feels about you as I rather think he does, he shall be more hurt by your rejection."

A nice thought, but not practical. "He will be hurt if the scandal of marrying me hurts his sisters or his nieces, or if he loses book sales or lecture bookings, or funding for one of his expeditions."

"Ah, but no one in Polite Society will dare to cut anyone in the Redepenning clan. They have been making scandalous marriages for a generation, Emily, but they have great wealth and powerful friends. The high sticklers, for example, turn their noses up at Jules Redepenning and his common wife and their older children who are, in fact, his children by his Balinese mistress. But never in public, and Captain and Mrs Redepenning don't care what others say in private. Why should they?"

She laughed, her eyes dancing. "And a little scandal will, of course, sell books and lecture tours. As far as funding goes, his expeditions make money, my new friend. He has an eye for opportunities—medicinal plants, trade contracts. He doesn't solicit investors; they beg to be allowed to give him money."

Emily did not know what to say. She had been so certain that marrying her would ruin Maddox's life. He had assured her he wouldn't lose anything he cared about. Lady Chirbury seemed to think the consequences would be less severe than Emily feared. But no one had argued the points Sally Wellbridge presented so clearly.

Sally must have realised, for she changed the subject. "If I could, I would go with you. I love travelling, and so does David, but our place is in England at the moment. Mind you, a part share in a shipping line does give one some options. We will travel in the future."

Emily accepted the new conversational direction. "Maddox told me that you lived on a Pacific island for a time. That must have been a very different lifestyle!"

By the time Diana Longford came to fetch them for a meal, served al fresco under a marquee looking over the Pall Mall lawn, Emily and Sally were chatting like old friends. The duke, who came to his wife's side as soon as they descended the stairs to the lawn, frowned to see them so friendly, but the duchess poked his shoulder with her forefinger and told him, "Be nice to Miss Kilbrierry, David. I like her, Auntie Anne and Uncle Chirbury like her, and Maddox loves her. So she is family."

They were still outside, watching some of the cousins play Pall Mall while others heckled, when Maddox came to join them. Wellbridge had thawed, and was explaining the rules to Emily, interrupting occasionally to join in the heckling.

He greeted Maddox with a question. "Has Wakefield finished?"

"Yes," Maddox confirmed. He smiled at Emily and took her hand. He looked relaxed and cheerful, so obviously the interview had gone well. "He has left, Wellbridge. He said he has to talk to the barristers tonight."

"We will need to leave before long," Wellbridge told him. "We have guests coming for dinner." He exchanged a grin with Sally.

Maddox and Emily had accepted an invitation from the duke and duchess to share their carriage to Bristol and to stay at the townhouse they had rented for the duration of the trial, but the invitation had not mentioned guests for dinner.

"I can stay in my room," Emily offered.

Wellbridge's grin broadened. "You can if you wish, of course, but I do hope you will join us. I'd love to introduce you."

"As one of the foremost landowners in the district, and the highest ranking gentleman currently resident in Bristol," said Sally piously, her hands folded together and her eyes dancing, "the Duke of Wellbridge thinks it only proper to greet the Justices of the Western Circuit at a formal dinner at his home. His house guests will, of course, also be present. What could be more reasonable?"

"Sally Wellbridge," said Maddox, his tone admiring, "do you mean we'll be spending the evening with Gills' and Julia's judges?"

"As it happens," Sally replied. "All totally above board, I assure you."

Emily had to admire the audacity. What a pity Gills and Julia couldn't join them! The accused couple would be travelling to Bristol in the morning, and putting up at a hotel—or, rather, at two separate hotels—for the duration of the trial. She and Maddox had been told they would not be allowed visitors; that Wellbridge, Coventon, and Julia's father had exercised every bit of their collective power to win the accommodation concession.

"Will they not be offended to be at table with one of the witnesses in the biggest case this season?" she asked. Maddox, she meant. She was not being called as a witness, though she fully expected her reputation to be shredded by some of those who were; collateral damage to the attacks on Julia.

"They will be dining with the world-famous explorer and inventor, favourite of Kings and Queens, scion of the renowned Redepenning family, and with the violinist who is the toast of Europe and America and also, incidentally, the daughter of a baron," Wellbridge intoned.

Sally nodded. "No one shall be so crass as to mention the trial."

"But tomorrow and in the coming days," Wellbridge added, "when the prosecution tries to paint you as scoundrels and villains, or as gullible fools, they shall have their own impressions to counter the nonsense."