When the Devil Drives by Caro Peacock Read Free Book Online

liked her. The last chord was dying away. People were applauding and chairs scraping back as the audience realized it was already past the time for carriages. Our hostess was at the door to say goodbye to her guests, towering over the small maestro as if she’d taken possession of him and the late Mr Beethoven as well. Mr Clyde stood at my side.
    â€˜May I?
    I nodded and he took the chair beside me, flipping back his coat tails.
    â€˜So, what did you think of her, Miss Lane?’
    â€˜A charming lady.’
    â€˜Indeed. Is she a lady you might think of making your friend?’
    â€˜I choose my friends according to my liking, not to order.’
    â€˜A friend for as long as is necessary, perhaps.’
    â€˜And I may have my own ideas on what is necessary.’
    I was being annoying quite deliberately, to see how he reacted. His brown eyes registered interest, but no annoyance.
    â€˜Necessary for her safety,’ he said.
    â€˜Is somebody threatening her, then?’
    â€˜Not precisely, no. But she is set on a course of action that may have the most serious consequences for her and for many other people.’
    I waited.
    â€˜I must ask for an assurance that what I tell you will be treated in the utmost confidence,’ he said.
    â€˜I regard my clients’ affairs as in confidence.’
    â€˜I need more than that. Nothing that I’m to say to you from here on must be told to another person, under any circumstances.’
    â€˜Very well. But I still have the right to refuse the case.’
    â€˜Yes, though I sincerely hope you will not. Tell me, had you heard anything about the contessa before this evening?’
    â€˜Nothing.’
    â€˜Her father was a Prussian aristocrat, her mother from an ancient but impoverished Italian family. She married an Italian nobleman considerably older than she was. He died three years ago. There are no children.’
    â€˜Was she terribly young when she married?’
    â€˜Fifteen.’
    â€˜Poor girl.’
    â€˜She gained the title and a quite large amount of money.’
    â€˜A reasonable bargain, then.’
    He pretended not to notice my sarcasm.
    â€˜After her husband’s death, she took to travelling. Her parentage gave her access to many of the noble and even royal families of Europe. She’s an accomplished lady and speaks several languages fluently, so she was usually sure of a welcome.’
    A widow, even a young one, enjoys more freedom than an unmarried girl. It sounded as if the contessa had been making the most of it. I waited for him to tell me at what point of her progress the contessa had captivated the man who was the point of all this.
    â€˜For some time, she lived in Dresden,’ he said. ‘While she was there, she met and formed a close relationship with a gentleman attached to the household of Prince Ernest of Saxe Coburg.’
    He looked at me, as if asking whether he needed to explain. I knew at least that Prince Ernest was heir to the German dukedom of Saxe Coburg. The entire country is about the size of an English county. One of my disrespectful republican friends had described it as a place so aristocratic that even the palace pigeons flew backwards to show respect. The Saxe Coburgs have managed to marry into all the royal families of Europe.
    â€˜What was he doing in Dresden?’ I said.
    â€˜At his father’s wish, Prince Ernest has been gaining military experience as a cavalry captain in the Saxon army. He has his own house in Dresden. Several of his friends from Saxe Coburg joined him there and two or three of them have accompanied him on his visit to England.’
    â€˜One of them being the contessa’s friend?’
    â€˜Yes. She considers herself engaged to the gentleman.’
    â€˜And he thinks otherwise?’
    â€˜I understand that his father will not allow it. He comes from one of the highest families in Saxe Coburg.’
    â€˜And a beautiful contessa