“I would be very hard to please if it were not,” she said ambiguously.
Her mother looked into her eyes and to Marissa’s relief accepted her statement as a yes. “Then,” she said a little tearfully, “there is nothing more to be said.”
Chapter 34
The private sanitarium was tucked away in a quiet street in Kensington, a solid redbrick building with discreetly barred windows. Valentine was shown into the office by the superintendent himself, a competent-looking man of fifty or so years with a comfortable paunch, called Gouch.
“Sit down, Lord Kent.”
Valentine sat down on the chair opposite, trying not to let his impatience show. “How is Baron Von Hautt?”
“He is well enough, I believe. The mania appears to have subsided, but we keep him very quiet here, no excitement. I don’t know how he will react to seeing you, my lord. We must be very careful.”
Valentine didn’t want to be careful and he hoped Augustus would react by telling him everything he needed to know.
“Forgive me,” Superintendent Gouch’s eyes were watchful, “but are you and the baron related? It is just that he persists in calling you his brother. At first we thought it was just the term for his fellow man, brothers-in-arms and all that, but we’ve begun to believe he genuinely thinks you are his blood relative. Is that a fact, or simply one of his many delusions?”
“Unfortunately it is a delusion,” Valentine replied. “But it is one I encouraged when he first spoke of it to me, and I am not adverse to keeping up the pretense if you think it will make it easier for me to converse with him. It is very important that I do so.”
Gouch hesitated. “May I ask why, Lord Kent?”
Valentine leaned forward. “I am about to marry.”
“Well, I must offer you my congratulations!”
He smiled and yet he found a little niggle of doubt, as he remembered Marissa’s recent introspection. But now was not the time to worry if she was having second thoughts.
“Thank you. When my wife comes to live at Abbey Thorne Manor I want her safe. The baron knows of someone in my household who is my enemy, and I cannot be happy until that person is found and removed.”
“I see. Yes, I quite understand your concern. I’m sorry I had to ask, my lord, but you see we must protect our patients as best we can.”
“I understand. Now, may I see the baron?”
The superintendent rose
. “This way, Lord Kent. Follow me.”
Lady Bethany seemed to know exactly what she was looking for, and directed Marissa into a number of exclusive little establishments where the service was discreet and the staff eager to please. By the time the morning was over, she had ordered a wedding dress of exquisite pink satin and lace, matching slippers, and several outfits for their extended honeymoon.
“But won’t I need serge or something stronger for climbing and walking?” Marissa asked. “You know what father’s expeditions are like.” The thought depressed her but she knew from past experiences it was better to be prepared.
Surprisingly, Lady Bethany laughed. “I don’t think Kent has much climbing or walking in mind, my dear. He’s far more interested in discovering everything about you than delving into the local flora.”
Marissa felt her cheeks flushing. “Do you believe that, Grandmamma? How can you know?”
Lady Bethany lifted her eyebrows. “Surely you can see how besotted he is with you, Marissa?”
“I worry—a little—about…things. What if in a year or two he locks himself away in his study and I never see him? What if he insists on traipsing all over the country on wild searches for new roses?”
“My dear child, if you are worrying about that then you should act now, while he is putty in your hands. Insist he give up his roses or you will not marry him.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t!” she cried. “That is who he is, and if I am not prepared to marry him, roses and all, then I should tell him no.”
Lady Bethany shrugged. “As you will. Did you take my advice about the hat?” she added, with a sideways glance.
Marissa couldn’t help but smile. “I did. Thank you.”
“And if Kent was a hat…?”