by Leenie Brown
Linton growled, and Henry worried the brim of his hat. “If you harm her or her reputation, I will see you pay.”
“I know, you have said so several times, and I do not doubt your words,” Henry replied. He swallowed as Linton stepped close enough to his side that their shoulders were touching.
“Do not break her heart,” Linton whispered, “or I will pierce yours.”
“I have no intention of engaging her heart.”
Linton scowled. “See that you don’t.”
Constance stopped at the doorway. She knew that her brother had said he threatened Henry on a regular basis, but she had never seen it until now. Though she did not hear any exchange of words, she could tell that Henry was not just uneasy but fearful. To give him time to compose himself and to spare him any embarrassment, she stepped back from view and called out cheerfully that she was ready as she entered.
Henry smiled at her. She was lovely. The blue of her eyes was heightened by the blue of her pelisse and hat. “Shall we go then?”
Constance shook her head and grinned. “No. A gentleman should always compliment a lady on her looks before they depart. We like that sort of thing. Begin again.” She caught how Henry darted a look at her brother. “He shall not harm you for saying his sister is lovely.” She crossed her arms and glared at Trefor. “Unless, of course, he thinks she is not.”
“Do not be ridiculous, Connie. You know I think you are beautiful.” He crossed the room to give her cheek a kiss. “I just find it difficult to hear other gentlemen say it.”
She patted the hand that had grasped hers. “Then do not listen.” She chuckled at his huff. “Mr. Crawford and I are only friends. He requested my help, and I am providing it.” She tipped her head and smiled up at her brother.
“Be careful,” Linton cautioned.
“When am I not?” Constance asked.
“You do not wish for me to answer that. However, I will say that you are intelligent enough to know how easily plans can go awry.”
“All will be well,” Constance assured him. “Now, my pupil awaits to tell me how fetching I look.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “You can question me about every detail over dinner.”
She turned away from her brother and back to Henry. All would be well, she assured herself. She could entertain the attentions of a charming gentleman without falling under his spell. This was Henry Crawford, after all. She had never before fallen for his pretty words. Of course, that was before he had taken on his current persona. No, she shook herself mentally, this was Henry. All would be well.
“You look lovely,” Henry said as he approached her and offered his arm. “Now, shall we go?”
She nodded and placed her hand on his arm. “That was much better. However, in the future, a more specific compliment might be better. You might wish to mention the colour of my ensemble as being flattering or some such thing.”
“Not with your brother present,” Henry muttered.
“Are your intentions less than honourable?” she questioned in a teasing voice.
“No.”
“Then you should not fear what a brother or guardian might think. They do the same when they greet ladies. I have heard Trefor do it.”
Henry laughed, looking over his shoulder at Linton. “Perhaps I should not fear your brother, but I do.” He gave Linton a knowing nod and was rewarded with something less like a scowl and more like a smile as they left the sitting room.
~*~*~
Henry handed her up into his curricle before climbing up next to her. “You are certain you do not mind being seen in public with me?” He had surprised himself by worrying a great deal, as he tossed and turned on his bed last night, about how she would be viewed by the ton if it appeared he was courting her. He had not courted a lady for any noble purposes in the past. He had feigned honorable intentions, but he had only one thing in mind — capturing the affections of the young lady as far as she would allow him to capture them and her. He had never been serious in his pursuit of any lady, and that is what the ton knew. They did not know that he was a man on a mission to change his ways.
Constance smiled and shook her head while a nervous flutter took up residence in her belly. She had discussed with her aunt what the gossips might say, but her aunt had assured her that with a brother such as Trefor and Connie’s own exemplary behavior, there would be little on which the wagging tongues would be able to build their stories, save, of course, for Henry’s previous behaviour. However, Aunt Gwladys had insisted that his new behaviour and respectable ways would soon over shine all that.
“I had only wished for you to tell me my errors and help me figure out how to overcome them. I did not mean for you to become so actively involved in my education.”
“It is one drive, and I am confident not many will take notice of me.” Constance was not certain if she was attempting to reassure him or herself. “And it they do, they know my brother.”
Henry nodded slowly. Trefor Linton was known for being upstanding. He never gambled to excess nor was he given to drinking or flirting. “I dare say they will notice me and, therefore, you,” Henry cautioned. “It might be best if we just retired to the drawing room, and you wrote me a list of things to do and things to avoid.”
She tipped her head and studied the set of his jaw. There was a muscle that was twitching. He seemed genuinely nervous about where they were and what they were doing.
“You are not afraid to be seen with me, are you?” she teased, causing him to cast a surprised glance her direction.
The twinkle in her eye and the way her lips puckered as she attempted to keep from smiling caused him to draw a quick breath as he reminded himself of whose sister Constance was. No matter how fetching she might look, he was not to indulge his appreciation of her.
“I am not afraid to be seen with you, but I am rather worried about your being seen with me. I am not the best catch of the season.” He glanced her way again. She was smiling broadly.
“Not yet, but you will be,” she said with a laugh. Then turning more serious, she asked quietly, “You are genuinely concerned about my reputation?”
“I am.” He gave her a crooked smile. “And not just because your brother promised to run me through if I damaged it. You deserve to make a good match, and I should wish to run myself through if I were the cause of your not being able to make one.”
“It is one drive,” she assured him.
He shook his head. “And one musical, and one trip to the theater, and one ball, and one whatever other thing your aunt thinks I need to experience before I am deemed worthy to be on my way.”
“All will be well. We shall weather the whispers together.” She smoothed her skirts and turned her eyes toward the road. “I do enjoy your company.”
“You are far too good.” He saw a smile pull at the corner of her mouth, and he could imagine the sparkle that was likely in her sapphire blue eyes.
“Yes, I am, but then, that is why you chose me,” she replied.
~*~*~
“How was your drive?” Linton asked his sister as they dined that evening. “Crawford behaved himself? There will be no lines of scandal in the paper?”
Constance raised a brow and took a sip of her watered down wine before she replied. For some unknown reason, it rankled to have her brother questioning her. She had been on drives with other gentlemen ─ not many, but two or three ─ and Trefor had not deigned to interrogate her after those outings beyond asking if she had a pleasant time.
“We had a delightful time. The weather was warm with only a few clouds to threaten our enjoyment.” She took another sip of wine and returned her glass to the table before taking up her cutlery to begin eating the pheasant that had been placed before her. “The weather seemed to bring out one and all. There were so many people to see and greet.”
Linton nodded his understanding. “It was a beautiful day for an outing,” he admitted. “But what of Crawford?”
She knew her brother wo
uld not let a question go unanswered, no matter how many times she might attempt to dodge them. Yet, it annoyed her that in asking such a question, he was not only demonstrating a lack of trust for his friend but also for her ─ not that he was likely aware of the fact that he was doing so. “Do you mean to ask if I am the sort of lady to allow a gentleman to take advantage of me and ruin my reputation?” She attempted to keep her tone light and her smile sweet.
The bit of food Linton was about to eat hung on his fork in the air and then returned to his plate. “Of course, I am not questioning your behaviour. I know you to be very proper, but Crawford is not known for his propriety.”
“Then, you do not trust him?” Constance asked nonchalantly.
“No.” Her brother said around a mouthful of food.
“Did you not claim he is a changed man?”
“Yes, I believe he did,” Aunt Gwladys replied.
Constance gave her aunt an appreciative smile and then turned her eyes back to her brother and waited for his response.
“I…. it’s just…” he stammered as he swallowed his food. “I worry about you,” he finally admitted. “I should hate to see anything unsavoury being said about you or for you to fall into something for which you are not prepared.”
“Then it is true; you do not trust me.”
Linton could hear the hurt in his sister’s voice. “It is not that. I do not trust the rest of society. There are those who will sensationalize even the smallest indiscretion into something that is ruinous.”
“Yet you allowed Mr. Crawford to dance with me in the view of many of those gossips.” Constance crossed her arms and glared at her brother. “You saw no harm in helping your friend with his estate or in giving him a nudge to attend a function or even in asking him to dance with me. Explain yourself.”
Linton huffed and then fell silent. For several minutes the only sounds in the room were the clinks of metal against china. Finally, when his plate was empty, he leaned back in his chair and began his explanation.
“Crawford has proven himself capable of change ─ I will give him that ─, and he was a quick student when it came to estate matters ─, but then he has always been more intelligent than one would assume. I also know his heart is desirous to amend his ways, but you must realize how precious you are to me, Connie, and there is the possibility that Crawford may stumble a time or two before he gets things right. Making an error in adding up sums in an account book is nothing compared to tarnishing or ruining the reputation of a lady such as yourself.”
Constance could not fault Trefor for his concern. She had spent several minutes yesterday discussing something very similar to this with her aunt, and then she had contemplated it again as she went to bed as well as while she dressed for the day. There had been a small sense of unease that had rested in her stomach until Mr. Crawford had expressed his concern for her reputation.
“He was every inch a proper gentleman,” Connie said with a reassuring smile for her brother. “We drove for a while before getting out for a bit of a stroll. He was all that he should have been, truly.”
Her brother’s shoulders relaxed as he expelled a breath.
“I was fearful at first that we might not even make it to the park,” Constance added. “Mr. Crawford was hesitant.”
“About what?” her aunt questioned.
“He feared what being seen with him might do to my reputation. He insisted it might be best if we return to the house, and I just give him a list of things to do and not do.”
“He was concerned about ─”
“My reputation,” Constance nodded as she finished her brother’s thought. “You have nothing to fear. I am perfectly safe with Mr. Crawford.” Safe as far as her reputation went that is. Her heart, well, that might be a completely different story if Henry continued to be the sort of gentleman he had been on their drive. He had seen to her comfort in all situations. He had allowed her to speak on whatever topic she chose, and he had not once lifted a disapproving brow or cleared his throat uneasily when she had strayed to topics generally thought unusual for a lady to consider. He had even quoted poetry a time or two. He really was a most entertaining and amiable companion, and one she looked forward to seeing again and often.
Chapter 5
“Good evening, Mr. Crawford,” Mrs. Barrett greeted as Henry approached the group where Constance was standing.
“Mrs. Barrett, ladies, Linton,” he replied as he bowed. “I apologize for my tardiness. The carriage line was longer than I expected it to be.” He had actually gotten out of his carriage and walked the length of a dozen carriages in an attempt to be on time, yet, a quick look at his watch when he arrived told him that he was a full ten minutes late. “I shall begin my journey much earlier next time.” This last bit was said quietly to Constance.
“You truly were not attempting to avoid the event?” Constance kept her eyes roaming the crowd as she tapped her fan on her hand.
Mr. Crawford did not have the looks of an Adonis, but in that particular shade of green, he was rather handsome. However, to openly admire him would be a faux pas of no small proportion. For one thing, her aunt and brother would once again commence their interrogation of her opinion of Henry as they had after yesterday’s walk and the trip to the theatre the day before that and the visit to the museum three days ago. For another thing, it might give Mr. Crawford the mistaken notion that she wished for him to be more than her pupil ─ which she did not ─ not really. Did she? Oh, he did set her well-ordered thinking on its end.
“No,” Henry replied, wishing that she would look at him instead of everyone else in the room. She had been avoiding making eye contact with him for two days now, and though she took his arm when he offered it, her touch had become lighter than it had been on their first few outings. She had also been more circumspect than normal in standing or sitting an appropriate distance from him.
“I am looking forward to the performances.” He smiled as she turned a questioning look on him. “Most of them. I am certain there will be a few that we shall have to suffer through.”
“Shall we take our places then?” Aunt Gwladys asked. “Mr. Marsh has looked our direction several times in the past five minutes.”
“He has shown particular interest in Evelyn,” Mrs. Barrett whispered behind her fan.
“I had noticed,” Aunt Gwladys replied with a smile. “There are seats near him.”
“Marsh is a toad,” Linton grumbled. “Always croaking on about the most boring things and clearing his throat.” He shook his head in disgust.
“We were not attempting to match you with him,” said Aunt Gwladys. “And that toad has a very good income. Now, hush and lead us over there.”
Henry barely kept back a chuckle at the way Linton’s eyes narrowed and he let out a soft growl of displeasure.
“I shall not accept him if he comes asking after Connie,” he told his aunt as he offered her his arm and dutifully led the party over to be seated near Mr. Marsh.
As they neared their destination, they were intercepted by Mr. Edwards. “Linton,” he said, “you must come sit with me, or I shall be bored to tears.”
“Why are you here?” Henry asked. He suspected he knew the reason for Edwards’ attendance, but that reason and his asking Linton to sit with him did not match.
“To see and be seen,” Edwards said as he fiddled with his quizzing glass. “Although so far, I have not seen what I had hoped.”
“We were going to see if Marsh would allow us to sit with him,” Linton said.
“That toad?” Edwards asked in surprise. “Surely, ladies of such beauty as your sister and Miss Barrett could do better than a balding gentleman fifteen years their senior.”
“It is not ours to decide who is or who is not an acceptable choice,” Henry said quietly. “That is up to the ladies and their guardians.” He kept his eyes fixed on Edwards, whose brows had flown to his hairline.
“That is quite right,” agreed Mrs. Barrett.
&nb
sp; “And the ladies chose to sit with a toad?” Edwards asked.
“He is not a toad,” Miss Barrett replied. “He is a gentleman. A kind, considerate gentleman.”
Edwards sketched a bow. “My apologies. It appears I have spoken out of turn.” He gave one more bow and took a quizzical look at Henry before moving on.
Constance watched him go and then turned to Henry. “That was well done, but does he truly need someone to sit with him?”
Henry shook his head. “No, he will find someone to join him either in his seat or a secluded corner.”
“Likely both,” Aunt Gwladys murmured.
Henry inclined his head in acceptance of the truth of her statement. He and Edwards had attended several musicales together over the years. They were ideal places for certain activities if one could convince a lady to slip away from the crowd during a performance.
“Do you believe that?” Constance asked as she took her seat next to him.
“That Edwards will find a willing lady? Yes,” he replied. “He is proficient…”
Linton cleared his throat and glared at Henry, who shrugged.
“I was only answering a question. I did not broach the subject.”
“Proper gentlemen do not speak to ladies of … conquests,” Linton whispered to Henry before turning displeased eyes on his sister. “And proper ladies do not ask about such.”
Constance’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes flashed. “As if I would!”
“You just did,” her brother returned. “And I for one am shocked.”
Proper or not, Constance hit his knee with her fan. “I did not. I wanted to know if Mr. Crawford believed what he said about acceptable choices.”
“You are drawing attention, my dear,” Aunt Gwladys cautioned. “You may fight properly in the carriage and again when we get home, but do try to refrain from doing so in public.” She waited until she had gotten some indication from both Constance and Trefor that they would behave before turning back to the conversation Mrs. Barrett was having with Mr. Marsh.
