Loving the Wrong Lord

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Today, Copeland and Lady Sophronia had paired up for this game, which came as no surprise to Josie though it had to Phin. If the looks that had passed between the viscount and the young lady on the way back from the gazebo yesterday were any indication, theirs was a true love match in progress, and Josie had little doubt that wedding bells would be ringing for them soon enough.

  Josie herself had hoped to partner with Phin, but after breakfast this morning, he suggested that they might do well to be seen in the company of other people for a bit. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to partner with her for lawn games. He very much did. However, he was also starting to hear whispers about how much time they were spending together, and he thought it wise to turn attention away from them for a bit if possible. Especially if, at some point, he hoped to make one of these women his bride.

  Except that to Josie, it didn’t quite feel as if he wanted to spend time with her. Rather, it felt as if he was abandoning her. Had he tired of her so quickly? She hoped and prayed that was not the case, but as Phin wouldn’t even so much as look at her this morning, what else was Josie supposed to think?

  “Very lucky.” That came from Lady Cheswick, who just happened to be strolling by at the moment, a glass of lemonade in hand. The woman hadn’t left her daughter and Copeland out of her sight for a moment since the lawn games had begun, save for her brief trip to the refreshment table. “And I will thank you not to cast aspersions on the reputation of our gracious host, Lady Margaretta. Everyone knows the Duke of Fullbridge is above reproach! Between him and his late but beloved father, two more righteous and God-fearing men you will not find!”

  If Lady Cheswick could have seen Phin yesterday in all of his nearly-naked glory, Josie knew the other woman would retract that statement immediately. However, she hadn’t seen Phin, and while she might suspect that Josie and Phin had been doing something that bordered on impropriety, her wish to keep any whiff of scandal away from her daughter, and the smitten Viscount Copeland trumped any need she might feel to spread gossip about Phin and Josie and potentially ruin lives.

  “Of course, I know that!” Lady Margaretta blushed furiously and gave her ball – which a footman had so kindly retrieved for her only a moment ago – anther sound thump with her mallet. This time, the ball sailed off in the direction of the walled garden before crashing into the ivy-covered bricks with a resounding clack. “Oh, dear.”

  “I think you’ve struck the garden wall, Lady Margaretta,” Lady Sophronia offered a bit too sweetly. “Perhaps we should play on without you while you go fetch it?”

  It was clear Lady Margaretta wanted to protest. Actually, what she probably wished to do was interrogate Josie further, just as she had been doing since the little group returned to the manor house yesterday. However, they could all see Phin’s gardener storming across the lawn in the direction of the ivy-covered wall where the pall mall ball had struck.

  “Yes. Of course. Play on.” Lady Margaretta handed Josie her mallet and hurried off toward the wall where the gardener was already cursing so loudly that the words faintly reached their ears.

  Since Josie had no real desire to continue to play this game, she excused herself from both Lady Sophronia and Lord Copeland’s company. Not that they likely noticed, for they were far too wrapped up in each other to pay the slightest bit of attention to anything Josie might be doing or saying.

  For a brief moment, Josie considered joining the new game of bowls that was just forming, the last game having been thoroughly disrupted by Lady Margaretta’s errant pall mall ball. However, she was abysmal at that game, and with her luck, she would strike someone in the head with a ball, just as the unfortunate Miss Cecy Worth had struck Lord Snowly in the head with a pall mall mallet at Phin’s last house party, something that was still being gossiped about to this very day.

  That would not do. That would not do at all. Especially if she wished to keep sneaking about to see Phin. And after yesterday? Josie most assuredly did. Assuming, of course, that he still wished to see her.

  She shouldn’t want to see him, of course. Their indulgence yesterday had been enough of a risk, and she knew further gossip would ruin her future chances of marriage. And yet the idea of seeing more of Phin, of actually putting her hand on his hardened erection, the same one she had felt pressing against her feminine mound yesterday, held far too great of an appeal.

  Lud, she was truly a lightskirt, just as her father had feared! Or if not a lightskirt, then perhaps a bit of a wanton, which really wasn’t much better.

  And if she did not stop this line of thought immediately? Well, then, Josie would give herself the vapors, and then there really would be talk! That was the last thing she desired.

  Josie was about to join the game of bowls anyway, simply to take her mind off of Phin and what other, far-more delicious things they might indulge in together, when she spied Tabby crossing the lawn and swinging two battledore rackets.

  “Care to play?” Tabby asked, offering Josie a racket as she approached. “I attempted to guilt Miss Hadley into playing me, but she was having none of it. Even she knows that I am abysmal and more likely to injure her than anything else. Physical exertion is not something at which I excel.”

  “Then that shall make two of us,” Josie laughed, taking the racket that Tabby offered. “I am only decent at pall mall. Bloody-thirsty, actually, especially according to my cousin, Penny, but decent enough. However, at battledore? Oh, and bowls? I am abysmal at both.”

  Tabby smiled. “I believe we shall muddle through quite nicely, then.”

  Together, the two women found an empty patch of lawn well away from the other guests, just in case the shuttlecock went astray, and began the game. From the first, it went about as well as expected since neither woman possessed the skills necessary to keep the shuttlecock in the air more than three or four times in a row. Still, Josie found herself enjoying the game and conversing easily with Tabby.

  “Rumor has it you were out with the duke during the rain yesterday.” There was no malice in Tabby’s words, and Josie had the feeling the other woman was only asking if that was the truth without coming right out and doing so. Which, of course, would be impolite.

  The other woman was curious, however. There was no denying it.

  “I was.” Josie scooped up the shuttlecock after she missed and launched it back at Tabby – or at least in the other woman’s general vicinity since her aim was decidedly off. “After you pointed me in his direction, I did encounter him. We ran into Lady Cheswick, Lady Sophronia, and Lord Copeland. We all went into the hedgerow maze together and got caught out in the storm. We took refuge in the orangery, even though we were already soaked.” She said that last part loud enough to be certain that Lady Grier, who happened to be wandering by on the arm of Lord Snowly for some reason, was certain to overhear.

  Josie didn’t know Lady Grier well and had only been spoken with her on a handful of occasions, but she was Lord Hallstone’s sister. Hallstone and his wife, Diana, were friends with Ben and Julia. Not to mention the Bloody Duke. It was a rather small circle, and Josie had to imagine that news traveled rapidly between the friends.

  Josie had supposedly come here to Havenhurst to look for a husband and not to snare Phin for her own. If word got back to those in London that she was behaving inappropriately? Chasing after Phin and brining disgrace to Lord and Lady Radcliffe? Well, it wasn’t as if Josie had any other place to go, so she needed to be careful.

  “A likely story,” Tabby whispered as she reached down to swipe the shuttlecock from the ground. Unsurprisingly, she had missed the shot again. “I say that because I know exactly where Lady Sophronia and Lord Copeland were only moments before the rains came. And it was not with you and Lord Fullbridge. Or Lady Cheswick, though she was not too far behind the young lovers. Which begs the question of where, exactly, you and his grace truly were.”

  Josie did her best not to blush. “We were on the far side of the lake. Phin suggested we take a walk to clear our
minds, and we weren’t paying attention to the weather.”

  “I wonder why.” Once more, Tabby’s eyes twinkled.

  “Tabby,” Josie chided, not sure why she was trusting this woman with her secrets. “It was not like that.”

  “Until it was.” There was a far-too-knowing look in Tabby’s eyes.

  This time, Josie really did blush, knowing it would be foolish to try and convince Tabby that nothing scandalous had taken place. “We took refuge in the pagoda on the far side of the lake. It’s actually a summer house. Phin’s mother had it built, and he keeps it maintained.”

  To Josie’s surprise, Tabby didn’t press for further details. “Then, am I to assume that whatever transpired inside was amenable to both of you?”

  “It was.” Josie saw no sense in denying that. Anyone with eyes could tell she and Phin were attracted to each other. “But, Tabby? It wasn’t as much as you might imagine. A few stolen kisses and not much else.” Well, at least nothing more that she would admit to at present, anyway.

  Dropping her racket, Tabby leaned over and squeezed Josie’s hand. “I won’t press you for details, and they are none of my business.” She gazed around the lawn where couples were laughing and enjoying themselves. “All I ask is that you are careful when you sneak off with Lord Fullbridge. I would like to think that we are friends of a sort.”

  “We are,” Josie agreed. “Or at least we are now. Two days ago, I didn’t know you.”

  At that, Tabby smiled. “I have been on the Marriage Mart since I was sixteen. That is far too young of an age, but my father insisted, so I went. That also means I have witnessed a great deal, including Lord Fullbridge moving through Society as if he was a ghost, hounded by his now-late father-in-law to keep and honor the memory of a woman Phin never loved and who was, in reality, a frigid shrew.”

  “His first wife. Faith.” The gossip rags had reached Cumbria even back then, so Josie knew quite a bit about Phin’s late wife.

  “Phin spent years bound to a dead woman. He was lonely and miserable and unable to move on because Faith’s father would not allow him to do so.” Josie noted that Tabby had dropped all pretense about not knowing Phin’s Christian name. “This year? With Faith’s father now passed on? Phin came to London at the beginning of the Season determined to find a bride. That search did not go as he had hoped, or perhaps it did because there have been numerous rumors about what the duke does and does not desire in a bride. However, though it all? He was stoic, if not downright morose at times. Happy on occasion, but never more than that. And then, suddenly, there you were. And he changed. For the better.”

  “Me?” Josie whispered, uncertain as to Tabby’s point. “I changed Phin?”

  “You did,” Tabby nodded firmly. “And it is a good change. But you have no wish to remain with him out of fear. Fear of gossip and scandal and other things I am certain I know nothing about. So, before you involve yourself with him any further, ask yourself this. What happens to Phin when you move on and find a gentleman you wish to marry?”

  For a long time, Josie said nothing. Then she shrugged. “Likely the same thing that will happen to me when he finally selects a bride. I am under no illusions, Tabby, and neither is Phin. This is, well, I am not certain what this is that we are sharing. There is a connection between us, true, but we both agree that any real attraction will die out sooner rather than later. I suspect he bores easily, and I am hardly a diamond of the first water. As for me? I need a husband untouched by scandal. My being here is an attempt to allow us both to move on with our lives. Whatever it is we share is not meant to last.”

  Tabby didn’t appear as if she believed Josie in the slightest, but everything she had said was the truth. Finally, the other woman nodded.

  “If you say so.”

  “I do. Trust me, Tabby. I know what I am doing.”

  Rather than replying, Tabby spun her racket. “Well, then. Shall we continue our game and see which one of us is a worse player? I am putting my coin on myself, if you wish to know. An entire shilling, to be exact.”

  At that, the mood immediately lightened, and Josie found herself laughing again. A real laugh and not the false one she made certain to use for polite society.

  “I shall take that bet and raise you another shilling.” Josie picked up her own racket, along with the shuttlecock. “Shall we?”

  “Please.”

  After that, both Josie and Tabby passed an enjoyable morning in fun and friendship, playing what might possibly have been England’s worst game of battledore ever. It was utterly, and completely glorious, at least for Josie.

  However, much like her time with Phin, Josie reminded herself not to become too accustomed to such things or such friendships. When this house party was over, she would return to London. After that? Possibly back to Cumbria to marry Mr. Stewart if no one else asked for her hand first. After that? She would likely never see London again.

  This wasn’t her life. Not her real life anyway. She could visit this world for a time, but she could not live here permanently, much as she might wish otherwise. Which was a true pity. Because Josie was finally finding her footing in this world. She was also discovering that she would very much like to remain – both in London and in Society. But only if Phin and his friends were a part of it.

  Chapter Eleven

  “A pure heart and devotion to the Lord is the true basis for any successful marriage. My mother was just saying as much the other day. Don’t you agree, your grace?”

  Phin ground his teeth together for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes and prayed to that same lord above to give him the strength not to strangle his sister. Cilla had been in a mood ever since Phin had suggested that if she was going to continue to ignore their guests in favor of both Lord Cleary and Lord Snowly, then perhaps she might wish to send everyone else home and be done with it.

  They had argued as they always did, and finally, Phin had informed Cilla that she needed to make a choice. She had to choose one man or the other and that bouncing back and forth between the two like a child’s ball was unseemly.

  Phin had pressed Lord Snowly’s case. The man could be a cad at times, but Phin truly believed that he cared for Cilla and would do right by her. He could not say the same for Cleary, who had been Cilla’s preference as of late.

  The fight had ended with Cilla stalking from the room and vowing never to speak to her brother again. She had also vowed to make his life a living hell. He had no doubt she was capable of doing just that.

  As expected, she had begun taking her revenge upon Phin as soon as possible. Earlier today, she had paired him with the simpering, title-grasping Lady Margaretta during an afternoon of charades on the lawn once the early morning games had ended. Now she had placed him directly beside Miss Ogden – a stiff, upright, and pious vicar’s daughter, of course – for the duration of dinner. Cilla had also made a comment about how all of Phin’s attention had been focused on Lady Josie as of late, so – likely out of spite – Cilla had placed Josie next to Lord Queensbury and opposite Lord Sutton with Lord Copeland not far away. Probably in an attempt to annoy Phin even further. Which was, he hated to admit, working, damn his sister’s miserable hide.

  At the moment, Queensbury – a man that Phin otherwise liked – was telling some sort of absurd joke, making Josie laugh until she flushed red, while Lord Sutton egged the other man on further. Lord Copeland added witty commentary where appropriate, and the four of them were having a marvelous time. Phin had thought that Queensbury’s attentions were engaged elsewhere, but was he mistaken? Could the man have his sights set on Josie?

  Phin had no idea, and he was making himself more and more upset each time he watched Josie interact with any male in the room.

  Damn his sister’s worthless hide to Hell and back! The she-devil would pay for this!

  Of course, Cilla’s plan had worked exactly as she had probably hoped, and now, Phin was silently seething inside. He was stuck at a boring, seemingly endl
ess dinner watching Josie flirt with other men while his brainbox was filled with religious sermons and platitudes.

  Not that Phin would ever allow his guests to see him in such a riled state. That would only spread more gossip, though, in truth, he was beginning to cease to care at all about such things. But he did still care – a little. Though not much, to be rather honest.

  Therefore, he could not risk anyone noticing that he was not his normal polite and stiff self. Still, just to be certain his mask of cool charm did not slip, he took a hearty sip of wine, which earned him a glare of disapproval from Miss Ogden.

  So. She was teetotaler, then, was she? Or nearly? Why was he not surprised? Faith had been as well, though that was more because she always wished to have the upper hand than any other reason. Being foxed led one to being out of control, which was something Faith had never been or wished to be. She had, however, prided herself on being a master manipulator and in control of every situation at all times.

  “My lady, doesn’t pride goeth before a fall?” Phin asked Miss Ogden, for once thanking his late wife for throwing those annoying platitudes in his face at every opportunity.

  Faith had used those words and others like weapons in the war she had been waging with her husband since the first night they had wed, and he had expressed his desire to take her to bed. She had vehemently protested the proposed sexual act and insisted she had not known that such a reprehensible thing would be a requirement of the marriage, even though she was far from an innocent by that point. How Faith expected she would bear Phin the required heir if he were never allowed to touch her, Phin had no idea and hadn’t bothered to ask. It hadn’t been worth his trouble.

  After a long pause, Phin’s choice of words made the woman next to him frown. “I do not take your meaning, your grace.”