A Woman of Honour

Chapter 24

The brief meeting, she had with Ralph had shaken her. It was not just the confirmation that both Lavorel and Melrose knew who she was, it had been the tender way he had held her in his arms. She had been sorely tempted to go with him. To forget about Lavorel and finding the identity of Le Renard, and, to forget about the promise, she had made all those years ago to Haverstock. She just wanted to go back to the safety of Ralph's arms and remain there forever. It was a lovely dream, but it could never be a reality.

There was one thing of which she was sure; she had no future with Ralph. The announcement of his forthcoming marriage had made any chance of that happening impossible. And, of course, she had the responsibility of securing Georgie's future. She had heard that Brentford was failing fast, and did not have long left before he died. Finding the identity of Le Renard had never been so important to her.

This evening, she had noticed a dramatic shift in Lavorel's attitude towards her that she had found disconcerting. The jealous protectiveness he usually portrayed towards her in company had vanished and had been replaced by a cool aloofness. The hairs on the nape of her neck prickled with fear as Ralph's words sprung to her mind. "You are a mouse being played with by a cat." The analogy seemed apt. She felt like they were planning her ultimate downfall. These were dangerous men, and she had betrayed them. Betrayal was the ultimate infraction of their rules. It was an act they would never be able to forgive.

At the beginning of the evening, the group had only contained four gentlemen, now there were five. All of them wore masks that were similar to those worn during the carnival season in Venice. They were predominately white with intricate gold trim and covered their faces, making identification nigh on impossible. There was something very sinister about the blank expressions that the masks gave the men. It only added to the fear she already felt. She could still identify Lavorel and Melrose, but the other three men were still unknown to her. However, there was something oddly familiar about the gentleman that had just joined their group.

'Countessa,' he said smoothly, holding out his hand to her, 'will you do me the honour of allowing me to lead you into the next set.'

Helen took his hand, and he led her onto the middle of the dancefloor. The previous dance had been a vigorous country dance, and many of the couples had left the floor to get some refreshments. The refrain of a sedate waltz had begun, and he held her close in a tight hold.

He did not say a word as he expertly guided her around the ballroom. He just held her tightly and looked continually at her with hard eyes that she could just see glittering through the mask. Helen could tell that he was yet another very dangerous man.

She shook her mind free from the fear that could easily cloud her judgement. She was here to find the identity of Le Renard, and she was dancing with another suspect. She took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. Once her mind was a little clearer, she began to compare his physical attributes to those she remembered from her previous encounter with Le Renard. He was the right height and build, and she was certain that they had met before. The mask he wore, that had a large hooked nose, made it quite impossible to gauge his age.

'I am surprised that you have not yet guessed who I am, Helen Wakefield,' he said softly as he spun her around the edge of the ballroom.

The icy fear crept deeper. As soon as he spoke, she recognised the voice.

'Le Renard,' she whispered back.

He had used her real name, Helen Wakefield. During her time in Spain, when she had been Lavoral's mistress, she had been known as Helena Smith. She had never used her real name in front of Lavorel, yet this man knew. However, she knew that there was no point disguising her identity. If Melrose had had her followed for months, just like Ralph had told her, there was no point denying it. They knew who she was and, more importantly, what she was doing here at Torrington Place.