The Elusive Earl

by Anne Herries

  * * *

  Annabel looked at herself in the mirror. She supposed that she looked well enough for her gown was expensive, spangled with tiny brilliants on the bodice and the hem of the skirt, but it was white and she would have preferred a deeper colour. Her aunt had dictated most of her clothes, though she had been allowed to choose an emerald green walking gown and a turquoise afternoon gown. Her aunt had overridden her on almost everything else. Lady Mitchell had decided that she would accompany her niece to London herself rather than finding a chaperone for her, and direct all her considerable energy into finding Annabel a suitable husband.

  Annabel wished that she might have been one of Lady Melbourne’s party for she liked Merry’s aunt and thought her friend lucky to be chaperoned by someone who did not make it clear that considerable time and expense had been put into giving her this season. She was expected to perform, Annabel knew, expected to make a prestigious marriage to a man her family approved.

  Annabel was thoughtful as she went downstairs to join her aunt. At least she would see Merry that evening, and if she was lucky she might meet a man she could like. She was looking forward to the dancing, and she was pleased to be out at last, but she did hope that she would not be pushed into a marriage simply because her aunt thought it suitable.

  * * *

  ‘Oh, Annabel, you do look gorgeous,’ Merry said when they met a little later that evening. The huge reception rooms were overflowing with people, for this was the first important affair of the season, and already it was beginning to feel very warm. ‘I love your dress – and it suits you so well.’

  ‘Do you think so?’ Merry was wearing a deep yellow gown, which looked wonderful against her hair. Annabel kissed her cheek. ‘I like your gown. Yellow is such a pretty colour. I thought mine looked a little insipid?’

  ‘No, not a bit,’ Merry told her. ‘It is one of the nicest I’ve seen since I’ve been in London, and it becomes you well.’

  ‘Aunt Justine must have been right,’ Annabel said and laughed, feeling better suddenly now that she was with her friend. ‘So whom should I dance with – and who is it best to avoid? I don’t want to partner anyone who smells or has bad breath – and they must be able to dance, because I don’t want my shoes to be ruined.’

  ‘Belle, you are wicked,’ Merry said. ‘There is one gentleman I do not care to dance with – Sir George Rowe, but most others are very pleasant.’

  ‘Then I shall tell him my card is full should he ask me,’ Annabel said, her eyes moving round the room. She was feeling excited now, her earlier mood of apprehension banished by the pleasure of being with Merry, and the anticipation of meeting someone…someone like him! Her gaze settled on a tall man. He had broad shoulders and a proud bearing but was not in the least fat or overdressed, for he wore plain black in the fashion that Beau Brummell had first introduced to society. His hair was very dark, almost black itself, and as he turned towards her for a moment she saw that his eyes were a deep azure. A strange pang in her stomach made her gasp, for she had only ever seen that combination once before. Yet it could not be. Common sense told her that the gypsy who had rescued the fox-cub and this man could have nothing to link them. ‘Do you know who that gentleman is?’ she asked Merry, directing her gaze towards him.

  ‘No, I do not think I have seen him before,’ Merry said and frowned, because there was such a haughty look on the gentleman’s face. ‘He looks very proud, doesn’t he?’

  ‘Yes, he does…’ Annabel broke off as a man came up to them, making his bow to Merry and then her. He was an attractive man with fair hair and bluish eyes and she thought that he must be the gentleman that Merry had told her of when they met earlier that day.

  ‘Miss Hamilton…’ Sutherland said and then allowed his gaze to rest on Annabel’s face. She was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen, and for a moment he felt that the ground had been swept from beneath his feet, but then he steadied himself. This one was a heartbreaker and he did not wish to be caught in her toils. ‘I believe this is the friend you told me of – Miss Annabel Hayes?’ He smiled at the beauty. ‘Merry told me that you were very beautiful, and as always she spoke only the truth. I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Hayes.’

  ‘She is beautiful, isn’t she?’ Merry said, pleased that he had agreed with her instantly. ‘I am glad to see you here this evening, sir. We were wondering who that gentleman is over there…the one with the black hair.’

  ‘Ah, you are not the only ones to wonder,’ Sutherland said, amusement in his eyes. ‘That is Viscount Wrexham – the Marquis of Rotherham’s natural son. His father adopted him legally a few years ago; however, I believe he had led a very different life until he was seventeen. I am told that he is now five and twenty and this is the first time he has attended such an occasion.’ What he did not add was that it was due to his influence that the invitation had been sent and accepted.

  ‘That is a little strange is it not?’ Annabel asked. She was tingling all over, though she did not understand why.

  ‘I imagine there is some mystery about the gentleman,’ Sutherland said. ‘We are acquainted a little, but he has not confided in me and I fear I can tell you no more. And now if I may beg the favour of a dance with each of you?’

  The girls handed over their cards, and Merry saw with pleasure that he had filled in two spaces on hers. Jane was already dancing with Teddy Hythe, and looking very happy. As the earl departed in search of other friends, two young men came up to them. They asked if they might have the favour of dances with them both, and a stream of gentlemen soon followed them so that the girls eventually became the centre of a large, animated group. It dispersed only when they were claimed by their first partners, and Merry saw that Annabel had shed her mood of abstraction as she began to enjoy herself.

  The evening was an assured success for them both, passing quickly, and Merry heard her friend’s laughter ring out often enough. Once, she saw her talking to the Viscount Wrexham, though only briefly for he had not asked her for a dance earlier and she was soon claimed by a more fortunate gentleman.

  However, Merry was too busy pleasing her own partners to have time to think about Annabel much, and it was only when they went to freshen themselves before supper that they had a chance to talk alone.

  ‘Are you enjoying yourself, Belle?’ Merry asked.

  ‘Yes, very much,’ Annabel told her, her eyes bright. ‘I have not sat down once and…I had to refuse Viscount Wrexham when he asked me for there were no spaces on my card.’

  Merry thought that she looked a little disappointed. ‘Would you have liked to dance with him?’

  ‘Yes, I think so,’ Annabel said. ‘I told him that I wished he had asked me earlier and he laughed. I liked him, Merry, though there is some mystery concerning him, for Aunt Justine says she has heard rumours that his mother was not of good birth.’

  ‘Ah, I see – and yet his father has adopted him as his heir. Does that not make him acceptable to everyone?’

  ‘To some but not others apparently,’ Annabel said. She had difficulty in keeping her excitement inside for she was almost sure that the Viscount was the gypsy youth she had met years previously, though it seemed impossible. ‘I think my aunt would consider him unsuitable as an admirer – but I liked him very well.’

  ‘Oh, Belle!’ Merry shook her head as she saw the hint of rebellion in her face. ‘Be careful, dearest, you do not want your mother to cut short your visit to town.’

  ‘No, that is the last thing I want,’ Annabel said for the evening had come to life for her when she saw the viscount, and the few brief words they had exchanged had set her pulses racing. ‘But remember what Samantha told us before we left school – to stand up for what we believe in? She said that I must do what I think right, and I shall not allow prejudice to prevent me from being civil to a gentleman if I choose.’

  ‘Yes, I remember everything Samantha told us,’ Merry said, a slightly wistful look in her eyes. ‘But that was there –
and this is the real world. We were protected at school and it felt as if no harm could ever come to us while Samantha was with us. She is not here, Belle – but your aunt is…’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ Annabel said, looking rueful. ‘But still I shall remember what Samantha told me…’

  She looked for Viscount Wrexham when they returned to join the rest of the company for supper, but could see no sign of him, and felt a little disappointed. And yet she had seen something in his eyes when they spoke that made her believe they would meet again. Her mother came up to her as she prepared to return to the ballroom.

  ‘I have received an invitation from Lady Portmeiron to a picnic she is giving by the river the day after tomorrow,’ Lady Mitchell said looking thoughtful. ‘I believe you danced with Sutherland earlier this evening, did you not? I understand that he seldom comes to these affairs, but his sister assures me that he will be at her picnic.’

  ‘He is a charming person,’ Annabel said. ‘I think he likes Merry. He danced with her twice and me once, Aunt Justine.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps,’ her aunt said. ‘Well, we shall see what happens – this is your first dance after all.’

  ‘Yes, Aunt Justine,’ Annabel said. ‘I have met quite a few pleasant gentlemen this evening…’ but only one that made her heart race! She was almost certain that he was the gypsy youth she had seen in her father’s woods all those years ago, but as yet she had not dared to ask.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The day of the picnic dawned fine and bright, which was a happy circumstance for all the girls were looking forward to it. Mr Hythe had told Jane that Sutherland would be attending, and also Viscount Wrexham.

  Lady Mitchell was herself unable to attend, and so it had been arranged that Annabel would join the Melbourne family for an early breakfast and then they could all set out together.

  It made for a merry party, because the three girls had breakfast alone, Lady Melbourne having hers in her room before she came down. They were able to exchange gossip and comment on the latest fashions in the ladies’ magazine, which had been delivered to the house that morning. One plate of a woman in a clinging gauze looked almost indecent, and Jane said that she would never dare to wear something so revealing, but Annabel’s eyes gleamed. Merry guessed that she would certainly dare, if her aunt would allow her out of the house in it!

  They chattered away in the carriage as they were driven to the meeting place at some steps by the river, where everyone went on board a boat to be conveyed down stream to the pleasant spot Lady Portmeiron had chosen for her picnic.

  Some of the guests were already there, as were the servants, busily setting up a small marquee with tables and chairs lest it should rain and the company be driven to shelter.

  Sutherland had been helping to direct his sister’s servants in the erection of the marquee, but when he saw Merry and her friends he came to them at once, doffing his hat and asking if they had enjoyed their brief trip on the river.

  ‘It was lovely,’ Merry told him. ‘I enjoyed it immensely, sir – but I think I should like to sail on an ocean-going vessel. Have you ever been to sea?’

  ‘I have my own yacht, which I keep at Greenwich,’ he told her with a smile. ‘I agree that there is nothing that can touch a sea voyage. Perhaps one day we should get up a party for sailing?’

  ‘I think that would be exciting,’ Merry said, her eyes bright. ‘I am sure that Annabel would love to come, and perhaps my cousin – though I am not sure about my aunt. I do not think that she truly enjoyed being on the river.’

  ‘Well, we must see what can be done,’ Sutherland promised. ‘I believe you are acquainted with everyone here, Miss Hamilton. Perhaps we could take a little stroll together before everyone is ready to eat?’

  Merry agreed, taking the arm he offered, and they set off along the bank, heading for a pretty spot they could see a short distance ahead of them.

  Annabel watched them go. She had already seen Viscount Wrexham, but as yet he had made no move to come to her. She decided that she would count to ten and then walk across to where he was standing, apparently lost in contemplation of the reflection of a willow in the dark brown waters of the Thames. However, as she reached eight, he seemed to become aware of her, and began to walk in her direction. She took a few steps to meet him.

  ‘Is it not a lovely morning, sir?’

  ‘Yes, indeed, Miss Hayes,’ he said, his eyes seeming a little distant as he brought his gaze to her face. ‘Beautiful – and this is an idyllic place to spend it.’

  ‘Yes, isn’t it? I was pleased to be invited to join Lady Portmeiron.’ She looked at him curiously for it was a small select party and she was a trifle surprised that he had been invited. ‘Are you much acquainted with her, sir?’

  ‘I met her for the first time today,’ Wrexham said, an odd flicker in his eyes. ‘I believe my invitation came through Sutherland. I am a little acquainted with him.’ Before that chance meeting at the boxing club, he had received only a handful of invitations since his arrival in town, and those mostly from gentlemen to meet at a club or for the races. However, of late, the cards had begun to arrive more frequently, and he had several on his mantle at his lodgings.

  ‘Ah yes, that is how it happens,’ Annabel said nodding wisely. ‘Mine came because I am Miss Hamilton’s friend I think – and Lady Rutledge, who is Sutherland’s godmother, is a great friend of Lady Melbourne.’ She laughed. ‘Do you know they call us the cousinry? It is because in society almost everyone is related to everyone else, albeit distantly, either through their mother, father or some such thing.’

  ‘I am certainly not related to any of these people through my mother,’ Wrexham said. ‘And my father has few relatives. I believe he would have thought twice of acknowledging me there been a cousin he might pass his name and fortune to on his death.’

  ‘Oh surely you are wrong, sir? He did so because he felt affection for you I am sure.’

  ‘Indeed?’ Wrexham’s eyes were flinty as he looked at her. ‘Are you acquainted with him?’

  ‘No, of course not…’ Annabel blushed for his tone was harsh, almost rude. ‘But I am sure he must have had a good reason for what he did.’

  ‘Are you?’ For a moment he glared at her, seeming angry, but then his features relaxed into a smile. ‘Well, perhaps you are right. However, it might have been better had he discovered his reasons earlier. Perhaps then I might have found it easier to become what is required of me.’

  ‘And what is that, sir?’

  ‘Why, to be a gentleman, of course,’ Wrexham said a mocking look in his eyes. ‘If it is ever possible to make a silk purse from the ear of a sow – or to tame a savage by the donning of fine clothes.’

  ‘A savage?’ Annabel’s mouth quirked as she recalled the first time she had ever seen him. Yes, he had been a savage then, especially when he was angry with the men who set traps for animals. ‘A noble savage perhaps – a gentle, caring savage, sir.’ It was the nearest she had dared to come to speaking of their first meeting. She waited, wondering if he would acknowledge it, but he did not.

  ‘Yet a savage just the same,’ Wrexham said, but now the expression in his eyes was soft and amused. ‘I assure you that I have heard it from the lips of some of your cousinry, Miss Hayes.’

  ‘Then they are fools and do not know you!’

  Wrexham laughed, his eyes bright as he looked down at her lovely face. ‘And do you think that you know me, Miss Hayes?’ he asked softly. ‘Tread warily, I beg you – for beneath the surface you may yet discover the man you do not know.’

  Annabel felt a little shiver trickle down her spine, but it was more of pleasure than of fear. He was a challenge and a mystery, and she found him fascinating.

  ‘Perhaps I do not know you as well as I might yet, sir,’ she said, and then suddenly bold, ‘but I hope that I shall come to know you very well in the future…’

  ‘Indeed?’ His brows rose. ‘I shall hope that you continue to approve…’ He offered her his arm
. ‘Shall we walk to join Sutherland and Miss Hamilton?’

  ‘Yes, I should like that,’ Annabel said, her heart beating faster as she took his arm. ‘I believe there are some swans a little further along the bank and they have young…’ She smiled, because she had suddenly begun to enjoy her visit to town very much.

  * * *

  Jane had an appointment to go driving with Teddy Hythe the next morning and so Merry and Annabel went shopping together. It had been arranged that Annabel should take her nuncheon at Lady Melbourne’s house, and the two returned at just before noon, carrying lots of small parcels and some novels they had borrowed from the lending library.

  When they went in, Merry paused to look at the small pile of cards on the silver salver in the hall, frowning when she saw that the Earl of Sutherland had called while they were out. As she turned the card over, she saw that he had written a message asking if she would go riding with him the next day. He would call for her at nine-thirty in the hope of seeing her.

  Merry slipped the card into her pocket. She would send one of the servants with a brief note to tell him that she would be ready. She knew that they were attending a musical evening that night, and it was unlikely he would be there. She was happy that he had at last asked her to go riding for it was three days since the picnic and longer since he had spoken of riding together, and she had begun to think he had changed his mind.

  The two girls ate nuncheon with Jane and Lady Melbourne, and then the three girls decided upon a walk to the park in the afternoon. It was once again a beautiful day, and they were in good spirits as they set off. When they reached the park, there were a great many people strolling in the sunshine, and it was not long before they met acquaintances. Their number was soon swelled by four gentlemen, and Miss Helen Greene, who was the sister of one of the gentlemen.

  Music was being played in a bandstand, and a small crowd of people had gathered to listen to the music. Annabel wandered a few steps from her friends, pausing to look at a display of spring flowers in one of the park’s neat beds.