by Amelia Grey
Zane returned the expression. “What children?” Zane asked. “Does Mr. Clark have children by a previous marriage?”
“No,” Uncle Hector said, jumping into the conversation with a strong tap of his cane to the floor.
Sylvester raised his hand to assuage and settle his brother’s irritation. “The ones Thelma will have if she marries Mr. Clark. His daughters might have the same predisposition as his sister and think it’s fine to defy one’s family to run off and be an actress.”
“What do you know about children?” Zane asked. “You’ve never had any. You don’t know how they might behave.”
“That’s not to say I don’t know about such things as bad blood in headstrong children, my lord. And how it can be passed down from family to family much like freckles.”
Freckles?
What the hell was he talking about? Zane snorted. “I know nothing of the kind. And furthermore, neither do you.”
“Well, I do.” Patricia injected herself into the conversation. “I have children. And you know I take your side whenever possible, my lord, I always have, but there is such a thing as bad blood.”
His sister had never taken his side in anything.
A long string of silent curses entered Zane’s mind as Fulton quietly walked into the dining room and placed a small silver tray in front of him. A note. Probably an invitation to another party. He started to wave the butler away, but on second thought, he realized it didn’t matter what the correspondence was. It gave him a much-needed reason to be diverted from his family.
“Excuse me,” he said, rising from his chair. “This might be important.”
He walked over to the window, broke the wax seal and opened the note. Glancing down at the signature, he felt a jump in his heart rate and smiled. It was important.
Dear Lord Blacknight,
If you are not otherwise engaged this afternoon, I might be available at half past three for a ride in a carriage.
With regards,
Mrs. Feld
She was asking him to take her for a ride. A lady asking a gentleman? Surely that couldn’t be proper, but blast it, if he didn’t love it when she wasn’t proper. Zane looked over at his uncles and sister. They continued to be in deep conversation over poor Thelma’s love life and children she’d yet to have.
At least there would be a bright spot at the end of the day for him, and he’d do his best to see that Aunt Beatrice’s daughter had a bright end to her afternoon as well. It they wanted him to be the head of the family, damnation, he would.
Chapter 20
Sitting in the back of a well-polished landau on plush comfortable seats with the top down and being driven by a liveried driver was the proper way for a gentleman to take a lady on an afternoon ride through the park, Brina thought.
It would also be quite boring if not for the fact the dashing Earl of Blacknight was seated beside her. He made all the difference in how she felt.
The reason most everyone in the ton remained in their best clothing and took to the parks on a sunny Sunday afternoon during the Season was so they could see and be seen by others. The weather hadn’t disappointed Londoners today. The sun was midway down the western sky with only a stray trace of white clouds breaking across the moderate shade of blue. Warm air didn’t have a hint of breeze to stir it around, making the day pleasant. Cloaks, capes, and coats had come off in favor of lightweight clothing.
Brina held a pale gray parasol edged with a darker shade of braided ribbon to match her dress and pelisse. Zane wore a black hat and dark brown coat and trousers. The buttons on his dark-red quilted waistcoat were covered in the same fabric. Well-matched horses and expensive wheels allowed the carriage to move along the road at a smooth and gentle pace.
If not for Zane, Brina would have much rather been back at her house rolling bandages for the sisters, which was her usual Sunday afternoon project. However, she had agreed to such outings as this with the earl to show his family he had settled down, graciously accepted his place in Society, and was ready to be a respectable member of the ton.
Much to her surprise and dismay, he was doing a splendid job.
It also vexed her that time was passing quickly, and she still hadn’t heard one hint of gossip that Zane might have slipped and taken a drink. No one had come forward to say he’d uttered so much as a swear—let alone an obscene one. He’d come close with her. But not close enough for him to surrender and agree she’d won. Some oft-used words of exclamation couldn’t be considered obscene. Too many people said them or variations of them. She often said “merciful heavens” or “drat,” which a few people would say are variations of “hellfire” and “damnation.” Both words were in the Bible for goodness’ sake! How could she insist they were obscene?
His strength troubled her, impressed her, and drew her. Drew her with such fearless abandonment, it would be so easy to give in to it and not even struggle. His sense of character was stronger than she’d suspected, than she was led to believe by all the gossips who said he cared nothing for his family or the responsibility of an earl that had fallen to him.
And she couldn’t forget Paris.
But what was she to do? Go back on her word and not marry him? There might be no other choice but that seemed almost as dreadful as marrying him. There was the comment he said the other day in her house. I bet you. Though she was in a mind to let it slide at the time, she hadn’t forgotten it. Slip of the tongue, well-used turn of phrase, or whatever he chose to call it, he couldn’t deny he said those three little words and offered her a wager no matter his intention at the time. She must keep it as an arrow in her quiver if he didn’t start drinking or gambling soon. She might have to use it.
Not only did she have to consider all that, she also had to reflect on the fact she enjoyed being with him. He made her laugh, but he’d never laughed at her. He desired her but hadn’t taken advantage of her advances. How could she not appreciate a man who surprised her with a horse to ride and helped her make bags of tea for the poor? All these things had somehow helped her come to care for him. How deeply, she didn’t know yet. Hadn’t wanted to know. Which, of course, left her emotions in turmoil because she knew she could never trust herself to marry again.
So, what would she do if he somehow managed to refrain from all the gentlemen’s vices she’d asked of him, and really expected her to marry him?
“You seem deep in thought, Mrs. Feld,” the earl said as they crossed the busy street and headed onto the path that would put them in St. James’s Park.
“Do I?” she asked, grateful he couldn’t read her mind and hoping her cheeks weren’t coloring as she answered.
He nodded. “You seem troubled. Are you not appreciating our proper afternoon ride?”
She looked over at him and smiled. “Very much.”
“Really?” He gave her a half grin and moved more into the corner of the landau and turned his body so he could face her directly without having to continue turning his head. “Are you not missing the horses yet?”
“Yes, and I’m upset you know that I am,” she teased. While the thought of a neighborhood and park she’d seen a thousand times might be boring, the man she was with was not. She missed sitting atop a horse and guiding the animal where she wanted it to go. It made her feel more a part of her surroundings rather than someone who was looking at them.
“Tell me,” she said, “are we being followed by anyone today?”
“I’m followed every time I leave my house. I have adapted much in the same way I am getting used to having a butler, a solicitor, and my uncles arriving every day to go over yet more documents, account books, contracts, and requests for my help.” A chuckle reverberated softly in his throat. “Don’t ask our driver to lose the cabriolet shadowing us today. He’s not capable and neither are the mares.”
She gave Zane a confident smile. “I wouldn’t. I trust no one but you to handle a team of horses so expertly.”
“I’m waiting for the day you will tru
st me with other, more important matters.”
His gaze swept over her face, making her feel she could believe him, even though she didn’t know specifically what he was referring to. It still made her want to believe him. He was winning her over with his unpredictable, slightly ungentlemanly behavior. He’d never been crass or rude to her or anyone else when he was with her. Well, perhaps he was rude when he hadn’t responded to the duchess’s dinner invitation to let the lady know he would be attending. Now he was reluctantly, but graciously, making amends for that with a party of his own.
“I do wish I could do something a little scandalous today,” he said. “Everyone we’re passing seems stiff and in need of a reason to relax and take pleasure in the afternoon.”
Brina laughed. There was something enchanting about him saying that. But everything about him seemed to be enticing. She tried to ignore the feeling by saying, “You have done enough for a lifetime.”
He shook his head and his brow creased. “I was thinking how I’d like to reach over and kiss you right now.”
Her breaths became rapid at the thought, but it would be madness. So instead of encouraging him, which she would have liked to do, she asked, “Is your book of poetry in your pocket? Reading it should curb your restless state.”
He patted down the front of his coat and then looked around his booted feet. “How did I get away without it? It’s been my constant companion since you gave it to me.”
Brina laughed. “I don’t believe you.”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Nor should you.”
“You probably don’t even know where it is.”
He leaned toward her once again, giving her a gentle smile. “Not true. I would never misplace something you gave me.”
The way he looked at her meant he knew exactly where the book was, and that made her want to kiss him even more. But not now. Later. When they were alone. She would.
They fell silent as the driver maneuvered the horses and carriage to fall in line behind a queue of conveyances waiting to enter the congested traffic already in the park. While they were stopped, Brina listened to chatter from people in nearby carriages, the jingle and rattle of harnesses, and snorts from the horses as they hustled by pulling their load. Recent rains had turned buds into leaves on the trees and shrubs. Flowers had been planted at the entrance and many of the blooms had opened. Scattered patches of green grass flowed into brown patches of ground still dormant from the winter and made a patchwork of the area.
“Which reminds me,” Brina said, changing the subject before either one of them acted on what they were both feeling. “Do you have any questions about your upcoming dinner?”
“None. I’ll find a way to get through it. Patricia and my uncles are excited. They were all over to my house this morning and they think your idea for me to host the evening was superb. They keep asking Fulton questions, and he continues to assure them his staff has everything in order and under control. It should be a perfect dinner party for us.”
“Us?” she questioned. “Why do you say that? I sent over the menu, guest list, and seating arrangements for Fulton, but the evening is for you alone.”
“No,” he said huskily, reaching over to let his hand rub down her arm. “It’s for us. For our future. Together.”
Thoughts of the future made her heart race again. As a lover, yes. Yes, she’d be willing to find a way to make that happen. She looked away from him, and on a grassy area not far away she saw people standing and waving. “Isn’t that your uncle Hector and his wife waving to you?”
“Yes, and Uncle Syl with them.” Zane paid them no mind. “It seems I can’t go anywhere without seeing them these days.”
She turned back to him and smiled. “We should go over and speak to them.”
“No,” he said unequivocally.
His short answer and clipped tone irritated her. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
“It’s torture. I told you I spent part of the morning with them. That was more than enough for today.”
“You can’t just ignore them,” she insisted. “They are motioning for us to drive over and say hello. Look, they have refreshments and will probably ask us to join them for a while. This is something you need to do. Something you wanted to do. Learn how to make your family feel you care about them and that what is important to them is important to you. Furthermore, I can’t help you be polite and proper if you don’t take my recommendations.”
Zane rose up in the seat, looked their way, and gave them a long, hearty wave. He then turned back to Brina, smiled engagingly, settled back into the cushion in a much too casual manner for being in public, and said, “That is all they are getting this afternoon. Besides,” he continued as they started up a small rise, “I told the driver to take us down to the abbey after our ride through the park. We’ll stop there and take a stroll to look at the buildings you wanted to see in that area. I’ve wanted to do it before now, but decided I’d rather take a closer look at the area with you.”
“Oh,” she said, touched by his words. Just when he was ignoring his family and she was thinking him irredeemable, he surprised her with his kindness. “You remembered I wanted to do that?”
His eyes swept over her face. He leaned in toward her again. “I recall everything about you, Brina. I remember how you taste, how you feel in my arms. At night in my dreams, I hear your sighs. When I wake, your scent surrounds me like a garden of sweet-smelling flowers. I am never without thoughts of you and that makes you always with me.”
His voice was husky, persuasive, and delighted every one of her senses. His gaze was so penetrating, it was as if Brina were living every word he said. She remembered all those things about him too. As surely as he was sitting beside her, she wanted to kiss him and show him her pleasure.
It didn’t matter there were other people walking near their carriage, riding on horseback, and wagons and carts passing by, moving along in front, or trailing behind them. That very real, stimulating attraction was always between them. She moved to reach over and slip her hand into his, press her lips on his, but thankfully the carriage wheel hit a bump in the ground and they were jostled. The moment to touch and kiss was lost.
“You are being bad, my lord,” she said in a voice that was only half teasing. Sometimes he made her feel so good, she wondered if she might wake up to find him a dream.
“If you only knew how desperately I wanted to take you in my arms right now, you would know that I am actually being very good.”
She believed him, and that was why she changed the subject to one that she’d been debating even mentioning. “Have you seen Robert or had word from him?”
“No one has seen him,” Zane responded. “Uncle Hector had a terse note saying he was with a friend and there was no need to worry about him. He’d return in a few days.”
“Hmm,” she said thoughtfully. It was good to know that Harper had kept his word about having Robert alert his family, but it did little to ease her suspicions all was not as Harper had told it.
Zane looked at her as if he were giving himself time to digest her words. “Why did you say that?” he asked. “And do that?”
“Do what?” she asked in all seriousness.
“Frown.”
“I didn’t,” she rebutted.
His bright, delicious blue eyes locked on hers. “You know you did and what does ‘hmm’ mean?”
Meeting his unwavering stare, she quirked her head a little and asked, “What does it mean when you say it?”
“That I’m unsure of the meaning of what the person has either asked me or answered me. And that usually concerns me, Brina. So what do you know about Robert that I don’t know?”
“Well, of course, I have no idea. Why don’t you tell me everything you know about him?”
He smiled, and as if without thinking, he reached over and ran his gloved hand down her cheek before drawing it away. “Gentlemen allow ladies to go first.”
She watched him as closely
as he watched her. Their cat-and-mouse game had returned. “I defer to you.”
“All right. Because of Robert’s recent behavior, I’ve asked a friend to check around to see if he has accumulated gambling debts.”
Anxiety she’d had about Harper being friends with Mr. Browning returned full force. Suddenly she was worrying that Harper might have debts. “I’m glad you are checking into that.”
“I’m also checking on the man named Remick. Robert has mentioned him. I don’t know but he may be hustling both our cousins to join a club so he can get them into debt with him.”
Brina was really treading on unfamiliar ground here. She didn’t know much about men’s gambling habits but she hoped no one was deliberately deceiving Harper to get money from him. His allowance was generous, but it wasn’t bottomless.
“That doesn’t make sense. Why would he want them in a club only to get them into debt to him?”
“So they will eventually harass their families for more money to pay what they owe.”
“Oh, that’s an absolutely wretched thing for a man to do.”
“But it happens more often than you might think. Now, what do you know?”
Unsure of how much to say for fear of betraying Harper, she offered, “I saw Harper two or three days ago and asked about Robert.”
The corners around his eyes tightened. “I need to know everything he said.”
She stared at Zane. She appreciated his honesty. It let her know things were more serious than she suspected. Perhaps she needed to tell him what she knew, even though it would mean betraying Harper and ruining her relationship with him should he ever find out. It wasn’t an easy decision to make.
“Brina.” He huffed her name impatiently. “Do you know something that will help me help Robert?”
After another brief hesitation, she bit back her resistance and said, “I might. Robert is staying with Harper.”
He gave her a disbelieving look and grunted. “You knew this days ago and you are just now seeing fit to tell me?”
“Harper said he would see to it Robert let his family know he was fine now and with a friend. He obviously did that.”
