“Is it that long?” Henriette smiled.
“It was! I would have come up to Newgate, but Leo was ill, and...”
“He was?” Henriette frowned. “I hope he is recovered now?”
“Oh, he is. You know Leo! Like a bear, he is, and the children all take after him – iron constitutions, all three of 'em!”
Ada smiled. “I am glad they were well enough for you to travel. It is good to have you here.” No matter how she herself felt, Alicia was always inspiring company.
“Come in, come in!” Alicia was saying. “It's icy out here, and we have visitors in the parlor. I hope you will not mind?”
With that, Ada found herself swept into the house with its marble-tiled entranceway and wide staircase. It was much larger than her family's apartment, though more old-fashioned in its décor.
She and Henriette followed Alicia up the stairs, who went trotting up briskly. As they walked up the stairs, Ada heard voices coming from the parlor. A man's voice made a soft comment, and another man answered.
Ada felt her heart pounding, and was not quite sure why.
When she reached the doorway, she stopped.
Lord Moore, their friend from the North was there, talking to Lord Gray, Alicia's husband. And standing at the window, looking out over the garden, was a tall, lean man she recognized. Liam.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A CHANCE MEETING
A CHANCE MEETING
“Oh...”
Ada clasped her hand to her mouth, feeling suddenly shy. Of all the things she had expected, the very last thing was to see Liam Donnelly here.
Liam, standing at the back of the group had just turned around. As Henriette engaged Leo in conversation, she drifted surreptitiously over to him. Her heart was thudding in her chest like a drum. He turned to speak to her, a smile on his handsome face.
“Lord Liam,” she said softly, and then paused. What can I say?
“Lady Ada.” It was a statement, gentle and rich with feeling. Ada felt her whole body throb with the intensity of her emotion. He was not cross with her! His voice confirmed that clearly.
“It is a... surprise... to see you here,” Ada said, looking up into his face. His eyes, dark brown, looked down at her gently. Her whole body thrilled to his presence, like a harp under a musician's expert touch. Their shared secret was like a delicious wine, making her giddy and happy all at once.
“It is a surprise to be here,” he admitted, slowly. “I had not expected to be drawn so soon into society.” his expression changed then, and Ada saw how disconcerted he was to be here.
“Well,” Ada said gently, “I, for one, am pleased you were persuaded into society... it is good to see you here.” She felt herself blush and trailed off, shy.
“Thank you, my lady,” he said, eyebrows raised and a tender smile on his lips. His voice sounded raw. Ada was surprised by the intensity of his response. Surely, he has guessed how much I like him?
“Well,” Ada said warmly, “you may find my gladness a mixed blessing, for I intend to talk to you about riding and horses and chess, and then you shall grow sick of my company and wish yourself at Northfell park.”
Liam laughed aloud. It was a delightful sound, and Ada felt herself grinning, too.
“You propose topics that are closest to my heart, my dear lady,” he said, turning to her again. “I am only afraid I shall propound on them so frequently I shall make you sick of them!”
Ada giggled. “That you never could, sir. I love all three topics far too passionately for that. Besides,” she smiled, “I think I have an invitation for a game, later?”
“Challenge cheerfully accepted.”
They were both laughing, and Ada noticed Toby watching them. He smiled at her, then turned to Lord Leo, who was talking to him about something, gesturing to the park beyond the window. Henriette was in the corner with Alicia, chuckling about something or other, though Ada noticed her eyes on them as well. She turned back to Liam, smiling naughtily.
“I am tempted to ask if you have access to a stable near here. I have never explored the local countryside,” she asked.
“I have not sought one out – I am rarely, if ever, in town myself.”
“I, too, prefer the country – my own company, and that of my horses – is sometimes all the company I wish.”
Liam blinked. “My lady, I could not have said it better for myself. I had not expected to meet someone so like myself.”
Ada swallowed. His eyes on her were warm, and they seemed to share a moment of connection deeper than any she had ever felt. She stared into his eyes, feeling her whole being respond to him. In that moment, she wished they were not here in this elegant suburban parlor, but outside, in the woods, alone as they had been three days before.
She heard footsteps on the carpet behind them and turned around quickly. Lost in his eyes, she had forgotten they had company.
“Ada!” Henriette appeared, smiling easily. “I was talking to Alicia about gowns. We might need to disturb you, for a fitting?”
“Oh,” Ada felt flustered. She had half-forgotten the reason for being here.
“I shall await your pleasure, Lady Ada,” Liam said gently, stepping back. Ada noticed that he had wilted in the presence of another, already half-standing in the shadows as if avoiding Henriette.Henriette did not notice his unease and turned to him, smiling warmly.
“Excuse us for leaving the company, but we are preparing for a ball.”
“You are?” Liam asked, surprised.
“Yes, Lady Winthrope's,” Henriette explained. “Which reminds me, Ada – you can be excited about it for a change!”
“Why?” Ada asked mildly, knowing that Henriette always tried to persuade her to enjoy balls more.
“Well, Lord Oscar, Duke of Norwich, is attending! Lady Alicia had word that he has arrived here in time!” Henriette raised her eyebrows meaningfully, grinning at Ada as if in a close conspiracy.
“Oh...” Ada felt suddenly faint. She looked at Liam, whose face was suddenly closed. She watched as confusion, hurt and betrayal mixed on his face, giving way to mistrust.
“I wish you a pleasant evening, then,” Liam said shortly. He turned away, his back to her as he contemplated the garden.
“Wait,” Ada said a little desperately. He turned, and his eyes were blank, a wintry gaze that hurt her like a physical pain. She could think of nothing to say, and turned and followed Henriette away.
In that moment, she wished she could simply disappear. She almost hated Henriette, though she rationalized that quickly: Henriette had meant no harm. She thought she might cry, and bit her lip hard, trying to dismiss the pain.
In the corridor, Henriette was mercifully walking ahead of her, chattering brightly to Alicia as they walked to her bedchamber to try on the dress. Their skirts trailed on the carpeted floor, and their voices disappeared in the padded hush of the corridor.
“Oh, but, Ada!” Henriette said when they reached the bedroom. “You are so quiet! What is the matter, my sister?”
“Nothing,” Ada mumbled. She could think of nothing else to say. How can I tell her that my heart is aching as if she had stabbed me, and I feel like I will never again be happy? It sounded dramatic, but it was how she felt, thinking of the way his face had changed. He thinks I am in love with Lord Ridlington! I wish I could tell him otherwise.
She wanted to say something to Henriette, to beg to return to the parlor for some reason or other. But she had turned to Alicia, who was laying out some gowns on the bed, and listened avidly to Alicia, watching the gowns with interest as they were produced.
“Now, dear – you must tell me,” Alicia was addressing Ada as she produced the dresses one by one. “Which color is better? Cream, green or blue? Pale colors are so much more suitable at your age – delicate and beautiful! I have mostly dark colors now, so I only have those three to offer,” Alicia was explaining, as she inspected her vast wooden wardrobe.
“Blue, please,” Ada said stubborn
ly, picking her favorite color. “Or cream.”
Henriette sighed. “This girl! Always, she chooses the drabbest colors! You would think blending in was her favorite pastime...”
“Girls will be girls,” Alicia said firmly. “And that means they have strong opinions! Is that not so, my dear?” Alicia patted Ada's hand.
Henriette grinned, and the two older women giggled.
“Ah, yes,” Henriette mused. “We had strong feelings and strong hearts. And we did follow our hearts...” she sighed nostalgically.
Alicia's back was already turned again as she rummaged in her wardrobe. She produced a pale blue gown made of a soft muslin. The skirt dropped sheerly from a high waist and the neckline was low and decorated with lace.
“I would like to try the blue,” Ada said shyly, reaching for it. It was beautiful.
“Of course...” Alicia smiled. “Jean!” She called to the room beside hers, and a pretty, dimpled maid appeared quickly. With bright eyes and round apple-cheeks, she seemed to have same lively energy as Alicia herself.
“We need your assistance with a gown,” Alicia explained. The woman nodded and turned to Ada. “Jean can adjust it for us, if it needs adjusting. It should fit, though... I had it a few years back,” Alicia explained.
Ada waited for the two women to exit before she turned to Jean, feeling strangely shy. She allowed the newcomer to help her out of her dress and into the new one, chattering idly as she did so. Ada answered in monosyllables where necessary – she felt like her world was caving in.
When the maid was done, she insisted on arranging Ada's hair. “At least a little, my lady, or you will not see the effect of the gown!”
Ada stared at the figure reflected to her as the maid worked. Tall and slender, eyes huge and damp with unshed tears, she looked beautiful and tragic. The grayed blue of the gown brought out the softness of her skin, and set her piled red hair in flaming contrast. She looked as if she were carved on a cameo, but that her eyes shone tearfully.
She turned before the mirror. “Lady Alicia?” she called through the door. “You can come in, now.” She heard the two women, who had been waiting in the corridor, slip quickly inside.
“Oh, my dear,” Alicia breathed in, seeing her. “You look... delightful!” She clapped her hands. “But you must allow me to lend you the pearls that match.” She went to her jewelry-box, and, with characteristic generousness, took out the double-stranded necklace and earrings of large drop-pearls. When Ada was suitably adorned, she stood back, hands clasped. “You are a picture!”
Even Henriette whistled, and had to agree the dress was perfect, and Ada looked beautiful.
When they had left, Ada found herself alone and in tears.
What is the use of looking beautiful, when Liam is so angry?
She dressed again, and hurried to the parlor, but she was too late – Toby and his friend had just left the building. She thought, then, that she might cry.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TAKING HEART
TAKING HEART
Liam walked briskly down the street, feet echoing on the cobbles.
I'm so stupid. How could I trust this woman?
His thoughts tormented him as he walked down the pavement, his pace swift as he crossed the road and headed for the square. He had to return home, to the peace and quiet of his bedchamber. His heart was pounding and he thought he might weep. How could he have been so stupid as to believe that such a beautiful, graceful creature as Lady Ada Drosty might be interested in him? He heard footsteps hurrying behind him and turned around.
“Liam! Don't be fool!”
Toby's voice rang out like gunshot across the street, halting him. Liam stopped where he was, and turned to face him, his expression bleak.
“I am not a fool,” he said tightly as Toby caught him up. The shorter man was puffing, red-faced, and had evidently run down the stairs to reach him.
He looked up at Liam.
“You shouldn't have just left like that!”
“What was I meant to do? Everything seems very clear to me... why wait?”
Liam's voice was bitter, and.
“You didn't give her a chance to explain!” Toby admonished.
“What explanation was needed?” Liam laughed harshly. “She is being courted by someone, and all this time with me has been polite pretense – is that not clear?”
Toby shook his head. “If you were not my friend, Liam, sometimes I would call you a dolt,” he said sadly.
Liam whipped round, dark eyes kindling. “How dare you?” he snapped. His anger died abruptly as Toby's face whitened, as if he had been slapped, and he sighed. “I am sorry, Toby. I am being an idiot, but not as you think I am. I cannot help it. She was the first woman who ever talked to me!” He hissed the words through his teeth. “I thought she didn't notice the scar, or didn't care. She... she made me feel worthwhile again! Unashamed of myself, for once in so long.”
Toby put a hand on his shoulder, moving him gently around the base of a statue to afford them shelter from staring eyes. They were in the middle of a busy square, ladies and gentlemen crossing on their way to Green Park and back again. Their own lodging was not far from here, and Toby steered Liam gently toward it.
“I... I thought she really meant what she said. I thought she saw me as a human being, not just as some scarred object of pity,” Liam was saying.
Toby reached a hand up to his shoulder and rested it there, concerned.
“You are human,” Toby said gently as they walked. “There is only one person who doubts that – you. The rest of us all see you for who you are.”
Liam snorted. “You know that is far from the truth.”
“It is also far from untrue,” Toby said gently. “More of us than you think could not care less about that scar, or what you think it represents. If you ask her, Ada would say the same thing.” He looked up at his friend earnestly where they stood, but, at the mention of her name, Liam twisted away.
“I do not want to hear her spoken of!”
Toby blinked. “Fine,” he said, abruptly. “You do that, then.” He sounded angry, and Liam blinked, surprised. “Only don't come running to me when you discover you have thrown away your only chance at happiness in exchange for wretched pride and self-pity!”
Liam glared at him, and bit back the retort that sprang to his lips. He did not want to alienate his friend, however great his anger. “Toby... don't be like that...”
“I'm going upstairs,” Toby sighed, and walked past him to their lodgings.
Liam stayed where he was, leaning on the pillar on the front terrace of his modest town apartments. He felt a tear snake down his cheek, and wiped it angrily. He wished he could stop crying. He wished he could forget. He wished, more than anything, that he understood what was happening.I thought that kiss meant something, he said to himself. Another tear followed the first, the memory a wound within him. He breathed in tightly and bit his lip, containing himself. Ada's sweet face was in his mind then, as clearly as if she stood in front of him, her red lips half-parted, inviting a kiss. The image struck him harder than a sword-cut, and he leaned back, eyes closed, feeling his heart thumping.
I wanted her. I longed for her – even just for her company, for a game of chess. And she was lying all along?
He waited on the doorstep a minute, until he felt he would not disgrace himself with tears, then walked inside. At the door, he stared into the mirror, placed there to allow the checking of appearance before leaving the house. The mirror showed him a narrow face with an elegant nose and full lips, the left side bisected from eye to lip by the scar. It seemed to him a wretched visage, unremarkable for anything but that wicked mark that crossed it.
“I'm still ugly,” he said to himself, disparagingly. “I must just learn to face it.”
With Ada, he decided as he stood there, his last hope of love was dead. It was a painful thought, but brought with it its own liberation. If he no longer had to care what people thought, perhaps
he could forget about it altogether?
“I know one person who would understand this,” he muttered to himself.
He walked briskly across the tiled entrance and back out into the street, where he hailed a cab. He was going to see his uncle.
Errol, Lord Harrington, Liam's long-unmarried uncle – the younger brother to his late mother, Lady Hester – lived in London. Selling all but one small homestead of his modest inheritance in Ireland, he had occupied a vast town-house too close to the wrong side of town to be really fashionable, but sufficiently large to allow for his vast tastes for parties.
“I wonder how the old rascal is keeping nowadays?” Liam thought to himself, leaning back while he sped through the streets to the apartment in the cab.
After a short time, they pulled up outside the homestead of Lord Harrington.
“Here we are, sir!” the cab driver said in a local accent. Liam paid him and walked up to the door.
Liam knocked at the door, feeling uncertain, and was admitted at once. As he waited, he thought about what he knew of the man. Lord Harrington, an astute man, had taken up a position in the English parliament, and there he kept a careful eye out for the interests of his countrymen both in England and in Ireland. Lord Harrington was well liked despite his tendencies to always swim against the current of public opinion. Liam had only met him a few times, but in that time had come to respect and trust him innately. And with his strongly non-militaristic policies, Errol was the one relation who had supported Liam's decision to resign his career. He looked forward to seeing him.
He did not wait for long.
Almost instantly, a voice boomed through the vast entrance hall.
“Liam! What brings my dear nephew and countryman here at this hour?”
Liam smiled as he was enveloped in an embrace that was entirely unfitting and was nonetheless extremely welcome.
An Earl To Remember Page 9
