“Oh?” The idea of him leaving London sent an ache to her heart. She pushed away the feeling, but it gnawed in the pit of her stomach as if she’d eaten bad mutton. But just because his mother and sister left, didn’t necessarily mean he would follow.
Cissy whispered, “Mother is planning a house party at our estate in the country.”
“Why are you whispering?” Sophia asked, also whispering.
They looked at each other and both giggled. “I have no idea. But, mother was whispering when she discussed it with me. Usually, that means she wants to keep it from my brother for a little while. She probably wants to trick him into joining us.”
“His Lordship does not enjoy the country?” Sophia managed the mild inquiry and she was pleased with herself for showing so little interest.
“He does. In fact, I think he much prefers that house. It is the house we grew up in. Father hated London and only came to town for political or diplomatic reasons. Daniel enjoys riding and hunting, but he does not like to be manipulated by our mother.”
“I see.” It was funny to think of Daniel, so big and strong, being ordered about by his petite mother.
“Does your mother usually get her way?” Sophia asked.
“Always. Daniel can deny her nothing or me for that matter.”
“I’m sure you ask very little of your brother. Why should he ever say no?”
“Indeed.” Daniel appeared in the east entry to the fountain.
Cissy jumped up and rushed over to hug Daniel. “I’m so glad you came this morning.”
He smiled and kissed the top of Cissy’s head but kept his gaze on Sophia. “I wanted to congratulate you on your spectacular debut last evening. You made me very proud, Cissy.”
“Thank you. It was a lovely ball.”
He leaned closer to her ear. “What is mother trying to get me to do?”
Cissy hit him playfully. “Do not get me in trouble. You will just have to wait and see. She has a plan and I’ll not be the one to topple it.”
He grinned at Cissy before turning his full attention to Sophia. Her heart ached wondering what her brother was doing and how he got on in Philadelphia.
Sophia stood and curtsied. “My lord.”
He bowed. “Miss Braighton.”
“Your mother asked us to come for tea.” Sophia explained her reason for being there a bit too quickly. She didn’t want him to think she was there to see him.
“Yes, I remember. You look very lovely this morning, Miss Braighton. I assume you have recovered from whatever ailed you last night.”
Sophia glanced at Cissy who watched them with wide eyes.
She wore a white day dress embroidered with small blue flowers. The dress was voluminous and none of her figure showed the way it had in the gown of the night before. “I’m well, my lord. Thank you.”
Cissy asked, “Does mother know you are here, Daniel?”
He cleared his throat and looked away from Sophia. “I stopped in the parlor before I came to find you. I chatted briefly with mother and Lady Collington.”
“Miss Braighton and I were talking about the country and how much I prefer the solitude and quiet to the bustle of London.”
Daniel nodded. “Miss Braighton, do you also enjoy the country?”
He didn’t move closer or say anything untoward, yet she flushed. “I have never been to the countryside of England, but I do like quiet. I prefer a long peaceful walk to the business required by city life. My mother can never understand this tendency toward solitude. She loves the parties, theatre, and house calls.”
Cissy practically bounced with agreement. “Oh I agree with you, Miss Braighton. In the country I can walk for miles. I love it. I cannot wait to get back to it. Though, I must get to Bond Street and buy some books before we return. I have read everything in the library at Marlton and the books here in the London house are mostly a bore.”
Daniel asked, “Will you go in search of Miss Radcliffe’s latest atrocity then, Cissy?”
“I may. And do not call them that. They are vastly entertaining and I read other books as well. I have read all of Shakespeare.” She huffed just a bit.
“Have you? All of it?” Sophia was impressed.
“Oh yes. I spent one entire year reading nothing but Shakespeare. Even some lesser known plays and sonnets.” Cissy smiled with delight. “Have you read much Shakespeare, Miss Braighton?”
Sophia shook her head. “Only the more common plays: Hamlet, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and a few others.”
“Cissy, did you know that Miss Braighton is a talented mimic? I, myself have never heard her perform, but I have it on good authority she is quite amusing.”
Cecilia bounced up and down clapping her hands. Her curls bounced with her and she looked much younger than her sixteen years. “Oh please, Miss Braighton, do an impersonation. Who can you do?”
Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and raised his brows.
“Will you be offended, my lord?”
He bowed, his expression mild.
Her stomach flipped and knotted, but he’d asked for it. In a voice similar to the Earl of Marlton’s, she said, “Miss Radcliffe’s novels are an abomination, Cecilia. I forbid you to read such rubbish. I shall lock you in the bell tower for a month if I so much as see one of those horrid books in my house.”
Cissy laughed so hard she held her stomach. “Oh that was wonderful. If my brother had ever forbid me from doing anything, I’m sure he would have sounded just like that. Do me. Oh please, can you mimic me?”
Sophia obliged her. “I do so love the country and to read in peace and solitude. London is a bore, but I did look rather marvelous at my debut.”
Cissy was as good a sport as Daniel and giggled helplessly. “However did you learn to do such a thing?”
“I could always do it, but I suppose I perfected it by trying to vex my brother, Anthony. He hated it when I mimicked him when we were young. As we got older, his friends were amused by my trick so he found it more tolerable.” The more she thought of her brother the more she missed him and her parents. It took a large effort on her part not to become solemn in front of her new friend and Daniel.
“I think it is a marvelous trick. I wonder if cook brought out any sandwiches. I’m rather hungry.” Cissy started walking back toward the house then turned. “You will show Miss Braighton back to the parlor, Daniel, won’t you?”
He nodded. “We shall be right behind you.”
Once they were alone, shyness folded over her. She twisted her hands together then clenched her fists to stop the nervous habit. “I like your sister. She is genuine.”
“She is the best thing that ever happened to me. I quite adore her.” His voice was low and rang with emotion.
“Are you sad she has grown up?” She stepped closer.
“She has grown up well and she will marry well, I expect. I just wish things did not happen so fast. It seems like yesterday I was eleven and had a brand new baby sister. I remember coming home from school that first time after she was born and just staring into her cradle. I was completely in love with her at first sight. Now when I look at her, I cannot see that infant at all.”
“Yes, time goes very quickly.” She agreed.
“How old are you, Miss Braighton. Or am I not allowed to ask?”
She giggled. “You are most certainly not supposed to ask and I’m nineteen.”
“When did you make your debut?”
She frowned. “Why do you ask?”
He shrugged. “Just curious. You do not seem to enjoy the marriage market process. I saw you at the ball dancing, but I do not think your heart is in it.”
“My heart?” Her voice was just above a whisper.
“Is there someone in America whom you are hoping to return to?”
More than anything, she wanted to lie. She could lie and say she was madly in love with a man in Philadelphia and then he would leave her alone. P
erhaps a rumor would circulate and all the men of London would leave her alone. However, when she looked into his eyes and they were so sincere and so blue, deceiving him was impossible. He truly looked concerned. Why should he be? “No. There is no one. I have been out in society for three years, my lord.”
“Last night you called me Daniel.”
Heat spread throughout her entire body. “That was last night. Today I have regained my good sense.” She walked to the edge of the fountain and dipped her fingers in the cool water.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I rather liked the way it sounded.” His breath tickled her ear.
She stood stock-still not sure if she wanted him to touch her or not. Well that was not the entire truth. Part of her was desperate for his touch. But her good sense told her, she should keep her distance.
In any event, he didn’t lay a finger on her. Instead, he backed away. “Would you like to tell me now that you are not so upset what happened last night after you left the garden.”
“I wish you wouldn’t ask me that. I don’t wish to tell you and I’d rather not lie to you. It would be better if you didn’t ask.” She looked over her shoulder. She didn’t know if he was angry at her, but she didn’t like the way his brows came together or the way his lips drew tight.
“But Sophia, your dress was torn, you were clearly distressed and whatever happened occurred in my home. I cannot tolerate anything violent taking place at Fallon House. I could insist you tell me.”
“Yet, I don’t wish to talk about it. And as a gentleman you should not force the issue.” Panic raised the timbre of her voice. She tried to force herself to relax but her shoulders stiffened and she trembled. He might insist, and then what would she do?
His expression softened. “Very well. Will you at least tell me if what happened between you and I in the garden was the cause of your dismay? I do not think I could stand it, but I have to know.”
She looked into his pained eyes. “No, Daniel. It was not you.”
Neither moved for a long time, they stood staring at each other.
Daniel shook himself. “Shall we see if there are any sandwiches?”
She accepted his arm as they went back to the house for tea. His body heat seeped from his arm through both of their clothing and into hers. It then spread out in every direction. It took all of her strength to avoid stumbling as they strode through the house. He didn’t speak, but she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. She was too cowardly to ask.
“Oh Daniel, there you are,” Lady Marlton said. “I have decided on a house party.”
“Have you, Mother?” He leaned against the door jam and crossed one foot over the other.
Sophia skirted an inlaid table and the gold-embroidered settee and sat near the other women.
“Yes.” She nodded and gave him a look that said, don’t you dare condescend to me. “It shall be for a week in the country and I think we should go Friday next.”
“We…Who, exactly, is ‘we’?”
Jeannette smiled sweetly. “Well, to start, your sister, you, me, several other friends, Lady Collington and her delightful niece, of course. I think you should invite Thomas Wheel and Sir Michael. I shall invite Lord Flammel and his family. You were quite close with the son, were you not? I think I will invite him and his new wife. They live quite close to Marlton. I have to work out the rest of the invitations, but rest assured, it will be a fine gathering.”
“I have no doubt, Mother.”
Chapter 7
Most of the ton was off at this ball or that. Rain turned the roads to mud, but that wouldn’t stop the marrying mammas from displaying their babies to the eligible bachelors of the season. Therefore, while the marriage mart continued, Daniel and Thomas found themselves ensconced in a game of cards at White’s Gentleman’s Club. The heavy drapes, wood paneling, and cigar smoke appealed to their male sensibilities. White’s was an excellent escape from the horrors of the marriage market.
In spite of his good intentions, Daniel’s thoughts drifted to what color Sophia’s dress might be that evening. Would she wear her hair up and leave just a few glistening dark curls tumbling around her shoulders? Or, would her mass of hair gently fall around her exquisite face? He hoped it was down covering those shoulders. He’d kissed her there and didn’t want to share them with any other man. He shook his head to clear such insane thoughts away. Perhaps he would make a late arrival and see for himself.
Thoughts of Sophia and the ball reminded him of her obvious distress in his library the evening of Cissy’s ball. His guts tightened. She’d been so pale when he found her. Why had she been so relieved to see her friend? Was it because she was afraid to be alone with him or was something else going on? He was sure she had not been that upset in the garden. Frightened by the intimacy between them, but her terror in the library was something different. She claimed he wasn’t the cause of her distress, but wouldn’t tell him what happened. It was maddening.
Thomas had just ordered brandy, which was an immediate tell that he had a bad hand. Though only Daniel would notice. After playing cards together since they were twelve years old, Thomas couldn’t fool him.
“Room for a fifth here?” Alistair Pundington asked. Twice their age, he still dressed like a young dandy in a yellow waistcoat with a white cravat.
Daniel and Thomas both preferred a much simpler look for themselves, but the elaborate neckwear was fashionable that season.
“Just finishing this hand.” Lord Frederick Brooks was a portly baron who drank too much and played cards badly. In the red for one hundred pounds already, he rarely used good sense and stopped playing until he lost ten times that amount. Sweat poured profusely from every pore and the little hair left on his head was damp and askew. He looked as if he had been in a brawl, but the unfortunate chap had done it to himself as he often did when playing over his head.
Pundington sat and waited for the hand to be decided.
Daniel swept his winnings out of the center of the table as Miles Hallsmith dealt the next round.
Miles was a good-natured young man who had been at Eton with Daniel and Thomas. He was the third son of a viscount but didn’t seem to mind his rather low position. His father gave him a tidy allowance and he in turn ran the family estates. His oldest brother was not adept at running them so Miles acted as a kind of secretary, which he also didn’t seem to mind. He had fiery red hair and freckles. There was a sense of calm about Miles, and Daniel liked him.
“Oh good show, Hallsmith.” Brooks puffed up like a pigeon and admired his cards and drank more of his brandy.
Thomas shook his head. “Freddy, you know telling your good fortune in this game is ill advised, don’t you?”
Brooks laughed rather dumbly and continued to chortle at his cards, rearranging them this way and that as if they would make better sense if he moved them just one more time. However when this didn’t help, he moved them yet again, all the while drinking and chortling.
As the betting began, Thomas said, “When did you arrive in London, Pundington? I thought you were on the continent.”
Thomas’s voice was less than cordial. He was generally an affable gentleman, so for him to border on rudeness caused the hair on the back of Daniel’s neck to stand up.
“Just got in yesterday.” Pundington twisted his long mustache around his index finger. “Surprised to see Lady Collington’s niece last night. That old bag is such a stickler for rules, seems odd she would sponsor that one.”
He had Daniel’s full attention.
However, it was Thomas who spoke. “I do not know what you are talking about, Pundington, but I consider the lady a friend and you had better proceed cautiously.”
Alistair continued to twirl his mustache. His grin looked more like a wolf baring its teeth. “Oh? She does make the rounds. Pretty thing. Quite a disappointment to her family though.”
“How so?” Brooks asked around another sip of brandy.
; Daniel’s fingers were grasping his cards so tightly he crushed the edges. His other hand balled in a fist under the table. He didn’t know whether to listen or beat Pundington to a pulp.
“Were you not a partner to her father?” Thomas asked. “I seem to remember hearing that your partnership ended poorly not many years ago.”
Pundington waved off the comment. “An amicable split after many years together. We both made a tidy sum, I might add.”
There was another round of betting.
“You’re not after the chit, are you, Wheel? I would advise against it if you want to be sure your heirs are your own.” Pundington smirked and asked for a card.
Daniel was quiet adept at keeping his feelings to himself. His gut twisted and he burned with the desire to unleash his rage on Pundington and everyone else at the table.
“You go too far, Pundington. I suggest you say no more about the lady or I’ll take offence.” Thomas spoke through clenched teeth.
Alistair looked up as if surprised that anyone should care about the subject. “No need to get out of sorts, boy. I had the girl myself. Not as if I’m telling stories out of school.”
All four men stared at Alistair.
It was too much. How had Daniel let this happen again? He tossed his cards on the table, resisted the urge to throw furniture, and strode from the club.
* * * *
Miles called after, “Marlton, your winnings.”
But Daniel either didn’t hear him or didn’t care.
Thomas stood. He looked at the footman standing nearby. “Collect his lordship’s winnings.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Mr. Pundington, I strongly suggest what you have just said is fiction. I have no idea why you would slander a lady’s reputation, but I will not have it. If I hear that you have spread this rumor beyond this table, I shall call you out. Do I make myself clear?”
Pundington raised his dark eyebrows. “Perfectly.” His voice was even and perhaps slightly amused.
Thomas picked up his own winnings and turned to leave, but then turned back. “If you ever call me ‘boy’ again, I’ll run you through without the delicacy of a proper duel.”
Tainted Bride Page 8
