FortunesFolly

by Barbara Miller

  She had better forget about Spencer Tanner, even though she admired an honest worker. It struck Roxanne as particularly difficult to tell if a man had money or not. They all dressed in finery and looked wealthy but her aunt had warned her away from one or two men who had been noticing her. She was as good at evasion as stalking but what was the point? Eventually she would have to dance with someone to assess his suitability as an investor.

  When Tanner came across the ballroom, Roxanne’s forced smile turned genuine. Finally she could relax, except for minding the steps of the dance. She did not have to worry about Tanner’s motives. He was just being polite. But did she have to monitor her own? He was wealthy, apparently, but she could never use a spontaneous connection to his sister to stalk him even as an investor.

  In the few moments of the dance when they were together, he asked after her relations. She told him about Fredrick and his high-pressure-steam-engine design as a matter of course. How could she not? After all, he had asked. But it was difficult to deliver a proper description of such a device when interrupted by the movements of the dance again and again. It was worse than trying to carry on a conversation while riding horseback with someone.

  As he led her back to Aunt Agatha, he asked if he could take her in to supper.

  “But your mother should sit with you.”

  “She has gone upstairs for the night. All this is too tiring for her.”

  “I hope she feels well enough to come tomorrow.”

  “So do I.” Tanner smiled at Agatha and nodded to both of them.

  “Then I would be delighted to have supper with you.”

  He went off then to cajole a young man into dancing with Holly.

  Aunt Agatha raised an eyebrow at her and fluttered her fan. “I see you have attracted the attention of Mr. Tanner.”

  “You say that like an accusation.”

  “He will do if we cannot find a title for you but we have only just begun.”

  “What is wrong with Spencer Tanner?”

  “I told you. No title and his money comes from the factory. Mind you, only dance with any of them once.”

  “Even Mr. Tanner?”

  “He is the host so he may claim a second dance with you.”

  “Seems to me a title isn’t much use without money.”

  “And you shall have both. You will rescue the family integrity. Once we have you married, we will see what we can do for your brother.”

  Roxanne stepped back a pace while she considered this possibility. Perhaps her childless aunt was using them to fulfill her ambitions. “I don’t think Fredrick would like that.”

  “Nonsense. Once you’ve brought the family back to respectability, Fredrick will need a wife and heirs.”

  It was worse than Roxanne had realized. She was supposed to puff herself off as some sort of paragon who would make everyone forget her father’s disgrace. She could almost guarantee that wasn’t going to happen. In fact, the reverse was far more likely, for she did have a temper.

  In Roxanne’s moment of inattention, her aunt almost sprinted across the room to collar an older gentleman. Now she was glaring at Roxanne, who didn’t know what to do. The stiff, graying man was the last person she wanted to dance with. Finally, Agatha came over to grab her arm. The man trailed slowly after her.

  “I want you to meet Sir John Marbrey,” she whispered. “I know a knighthood is not much of a title but it’s a start.”

  “He looks so old and sad.”

  “I’m sure he’s quite charming. Sir John is also very rich.”

  “Well, I shall be careful not to offend him then but I see now that trying to describe a high-pressure steam engine to someone on a dance floor is not practical. I shall have to make a later appointment with him.”

  She left her aunt gaping as she walked toward Sir John. Roxanne tried to smile as she closed the distance between them but her face felt frozen as her aunt scampered up beside her to make introductions.

  “I am not much of a dancer,” Sir John confessed, “but I would like to lead you in to supper.”

  “Oh dear, I am most honored but I already promised someone else—our host. I did especially want to make your acquaintance.” She bit the side of her mouth over that lie. Still, perhaps he was a potential investor. Older men did such things.

  “Perhaps I could take you for a drive tomorrow? I have a fine new team.”

  “A drive would be lovely. Any time before tea. The Tanners are coming tomorrow.”

  “The Tanners are coming to tea tomorrow?” her aunt asked.

  “I should have asked your permission first. It was an impulse.”

  “Of course, that is fine. Perhaps Sir John would also like to come.”

  “I shall call at one o’clock then for the drive, and stay to tea. What a splendid plan.”

  As the older man walked away, her aunt stared at her. “You know Tanner is one of the wealthier men in London. And suddenly he is leading you in to supper and coming to tea tomorrow. How did you manage that?”

  “I struck up a friendship with his sister. She is very nice and the only girl who has spoken to me tonight.”

  “Very clever.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be clever. I like Holly.”

  “Inviting them to tea is fine but you don’t want to sit in Tanner’s pocket, at least not yet.”

  “But I have an assignation for tomorrow. Many more people will notice me with Sir John than with Tanner.”

  “True, but tonight they will see you being singled out by Tanner.”

  “Hmm, perhaps I should continue to mingle.” Roxanne scanned the edges of the ballroom but all who were not dancing gathered into gossipy clusters. The chances of singling out such a man as she was looking for seemed slim. Probably he would be a husband or otherwise ineligible.

  “I think you should stay by me so I can find you partners.”

  Before she could answer, a naval officer bore down on them and bowed to her and her aunt in a dashing manner that overwhelmed the older woman.

  “You may not recall me, Miss Whitcomb. Captain Harding. I am in the shore guard, stationed in Exeter. Actually we are now known as the Coastguard.”

  “I thought you looked familiar. This is Lady Sherbourne, my aunt.”

  “How do you do, Captain Harding?” her aunt asked with a nod.

  “Very well, Lady Sherbourne. And yourself?”

  “If you are in the shore patrol, what brings you to London?”

  Roxanne felt her aunt was as good as asking him to leave.

  “Refitting my ship.”

  “What a happy circumstance to bring you here,” Roxanne babbled. The Preventive officer, who had once warned a seaman away from her on the quay in Exeter, was a welcome relief but she hoped he would not mention the encounter to her aunt. “It’s so nice to find a friendly face among all these strangers.”

  “I am surprised you recognized me from our nodding acquaintance. May I stand up with you for the next dance?”

  Roxanne opened her mouth but her aunt intervened. “The next dance is a waltz and she is not permitted.”

  “What a shame. Then some refreshments and we can bring lemonade back for Lady Sherbourne.” He took Roxanne’s arm and walked her toward the blue salon.

  As Captain Harding led her away, Roxanne looked back over her shoulder and could see Aunt Agatha still gasping, much like a hooked fish.

  “As neat a cutting-out operation as I have ever seen,” Roxanne remarked with a grin.

  Harding’s black brows drew together over his lively brown eyes. “Where did you learn naval cant?”

  “My brother spends a deal of time in the harbor and I shop in Exeter.”

  “So you knew what I was up to and let me lead you away?” He scanned the salon, which was just as crowded and noisy as the ballroom.

  “I have been cautioned not to make a scene.”

  “And you are not at all impressed by the uniform?”

  “A uniform is always pleasing. Have
you any interest in high-pressure steam engines?”

  He slowly turned his head to stare at her. “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “I thought not. We seem to have little in common.”

  “Normally I admire snap judgments.”

  “When they are correct?” she countered.

  “When they are mine,” he said. He led her toward the table that looked to have safe beverages. “You are the oddest sort of girl.”

  “So I have been told, at length and frequently.”

  He smiled at her reply. “May I call on you tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow I am engaged all day.”

  “Ah, the lemonade. Here, hold this for your aunt. Or would you rather try champagne?”

  “I would rather know your mission.”

  “That’s blunt.”

  “I have no conversation but I must warn you I also have no fortune. If you are looking for a rich wife, alas you must continue the operation.” Roxanne scanned the room to hunt out possible prey for him.

  “And yet I feel I want to know you better.”

  “Why?” She had done her best to dispel any illusions he might have.

  He shook his head. “I have no idea, really.”

  Roxanne opened her mouth to put him in his place but realized she enjoyed arguing with him, and there was something else. He was bold and she sensed he might lend courage to a girl who had not enough of her own. A girl like Holly.

  “Please come to tea tomorrow, 16 Manchester Square.”

  “Very well. What will await me there? Court-martial? Keelhauling?”

  “A pleasant surprise, I assure you.”

  Tanner came toward them. “Miss Whitcomb. It’s nearly time for supper.”

  “Ah, Mr. Tanner. You found me.”

  Harding relieved her of the lemonade. “I shall take this to your aunt and see if she has a partner for supper.”

  “Captain Harding, that is most kind of you.”

  “Wish me luck,” he said with a nod to Tanner.

  She stared after him, wondering if luck would mean he did escort her aunt or not.

  “As it happens, I shall escort both you and Holly in to supper.” Tanner frowned as he said it but only for a moment.

  “Oh, I can’t believe no one else asked her. How could they all be so rude in your own house? Perhaps Captain Harding would do.”

  He patted the hand she had laid on his arm and looked speculatively around the ballroom. “We can’t make them like us… I should not have said that since I realize you are one of them.”

  She chuckled. “Mr. Tanner, I will never be one of them. Holly feels lonely at these events since she doesn’t know any of these people.”

  “She is waiting near the dining room. She is far too shy for her age.”

  “Better a becoming shyness than the forwardness I see displayed by many of these girls.” Roxanne snapped her mouth shut then laughed. “I can’t believe I said that. I sound just like Aunt Agatha.”

  Tanner gazed down at her with merriment in his eyes as Roxanne inwardly upbraided herself. If she were more socially adroit she should have been able to throw Holly and Harding together for supper, though she had noticed a twitch to Tanner’s mouth when she mentioned Harding. Patience was a virtue she seldom practiced but it might be wise to attempt it now.

  “True. You aunt is typical of the society matrons.”

  “Perhaps I should include myself among the too-forward misses.”

  “I never said so.”

  “But I steal a march by criticizing myself, so that you feel compelled to deny the truth.”

  He chuckled. “How long have you been playing this game?”

  “Not long enough. I am only used to jousting with my brother.”

  “So this is your come-out season?”

  “Yes, crone that I am.” Roxanne smiled up at him. “I dare not tell you my age.”

  “You cannot be much above Holly in age. I warn you that you won’t manage it again.”

  “What?” She had truly lost track of the exchange.

  “Trick a compliment out of me.”

  “A challenge. I shall make it my mission. There she is.”

  “I do wish at least one of these young men had asked for her hand.”

  “For a dance perhaps, not for life. None of them are worthy of her, save perhaps one.”

  “Which one?”

  “I don’t think I’ll tell you. Not just yet.”

  Tanner guessed she was funning so he dropped the subject and led them into the room, where a table had been held for them. If Roxanne were an arrogant sort, she’d feel happy to be sharing supper with him but she looked nervous. Was he showing her too much preferment or was she embarrassed to be the focus of his attentions, cit that he was?

  He did not read people accurately but took them at face value. Miss Whitcomb was the first person he had met tonight who seemed genuine and she claimed to have found the one man worthy of Holly. He just wished he had her divining rod, for he had begun to think this whole season was a terrible mistake.

  He’d learned a few lessons in his stint at school and university. If people envied you they could cause you a deal of trouble and you would never know what was coming until it landed on you unawares. He hoped Miss Whitcomb’s only concern was the jealousy of the predatory maidens who had been trying to trap him tonight. Would she suffer their gossip because of his actions?

  He couldn’t change public opinion. But he could court this bold and strangely disquieting girl. That was not all he could do. He could possibly scare other suitors away from her. So he had better make sure he did not ruin her chances with others unless he was certain he was willing to offer for her.

  How fast his mind leaped toward marriage, when it had been only an idle thought before the season started. But he had just met the one woman whose wit and humor made London exciting. Perhaps that was not enough to induce him to ask for her hand but he meant to pursue an acquaintance with her.

  He smiled at her as his servants uncorked champagne for them. His father had wanted him to marry into the ton to further their business interests but his father was dead now and Tanner saw no need for such an alliance. He had built the family fortune to the point where he no longer courted investors.

  For the first time, he realized how much freedom he had. He could marry Miss Whitcomb. She got along well with Holly and she didn’t turn a cold eye on him like some of the other beauties who had accepted his invitations, apparently only to meet their friends.

  Spencer was sure Holly was embarrassed by not having a supper partner but what could he do? Without his mother’s support and her society contacts, he could not force any of these men to care about his sister. Why his mother was not more supportive of his efforts to find Holly a husband, he was not sure. His sister needed a future in society instead of being caught between two worlds.

  The two girls chatted during the light meal and he realized how charming and animated Miss Whitcomb was, talking about her father’s estate near Exeter. It was called Whitcomb Hall. Oddly, she mixed tales of hunts and house parties with advice on how to grow the best cabbages and the future importance of high-pressure steam engines to industry. At the end of half an hour his head was spinning, but pleasantly so, and Holly was enthralled.

  There was more dancing after supper and more young men to find to dance with Holly. But he did notice now that if she stayed by the vivacious Miss Whitcomb, she got some partners on her own. Spencer didn’t like the look of all of them and apparently neither did Miss Whitcomb, for she seemed to draw off the older or more dangerous-looking men for herself.

  Tanner saw the naval officer who had just danced with Holly approach Miss Whitcomb again and there was nothing he could do. He had already danced twice with her. Who made that stupid rule anyway? But the officer did not look avaricious. Simply glad to see her. And they conversed easily as they took their place in the set. How could he compete with such familiarity? They must know each other. Pl
us he had a uniform.

  Tanner wondered why his mother had invited the young officer.

  Naval service was dangerous even without a war. So this man must appear much more of a hero to Roxanne than a cit ever could. Tanner had never felt jealous of another’s occupation before. Perhaps it was how Roxanne smiled and chatted without effort.

  Tanner realized he wasn’t jealous of the uniform but of anyone else capturing Roxanne’s attention in such a way. No woman had ever made him feel like this and he wasn’t sure he liked it or himself for not controlling this possessiveness. He had better bridle his jealousy before their next meeting or his temper might get him in trouble.

  “You seem to be making a hit,” Harding said.

  “I feel like a fish out of water but my aunt is sponsoring me so I must feign having a good time.”

  “I feel lucky to have stolen a second dance with you.”

  “It is a wonderful relief to dance with someone who will not interrogate me.”

  Harding glanced around the room. “Are they so bad?”

  “Only the ones who don’t know the family history. For the others, I should wear a sign that says, ‘No fortune’.”

  “Ah yes, your father’s untimely death. You would think they would forget in, what is it? Three years?”

  “Gossip has a life of its own.”

  “As I find while I am stuck in London waiting for them to refit my cutter. My sister brought me as a guest, so I am a bit of a sham.”

  “I am as well.”

  “Yet I hear from Miss Tanner you got them to come to tea tomorrow. That’s a coup.”

  “Is it? I just wanted Miss Tanner to feel more comfortable in London.”

  “Even though you don’t.”

  “Perhaps we can share our discomfort with the situation.”

  “I shall be delighted to attend, even though your aunt is staring at me as though I am some sort of upstart. I asked her in to supper and she glared at me but I must have been the best offer she got. Talk about interrogation.”

  ”About what?”

  “Your life in Exeter, not mine. It was difficult to convince her I enjoy only a nodding acquaintance.”