“Lady Eva, Miss Anna, these are some of my closest friends from childhood. Doesn’t mean I recommend them as honorable, but they are good hearted.”
“Our best friend is mis-representing us to you lovely ladies.” The one called Lord Casltebury bowed. “I am pleased to meet you both and would be honored if you would sit beside me.”
“They can’t both sit by you because at least one is invited to sit by me.” The man at his side bowed next to his friend. “And I am Lord Tillsdale.” He stood taller. “And we have known Archibald his whole life. Jane’s the best thing ever to happen to that man, but likewise couldn’t have happened to a better woman. We’re happy for them both.”
Eva smiled. She liked these two and could tell they were all about the fun, maybe the partiers from her day, the guys up for a one night stand. She wondered how that worked during Regency. Did they just flirt with abandon? She determined to watch carefully. “I’m happy to meet you. Anna and I arrived yesterday.”
“Perhaps we could show you around London, go on a ride through the park?”
“After she rides with me.” Lord Hereford approached and towered over everyone in the room. She knew he was large in stature, but she had no idea just how large. Especially by English standards and genetics of this time, he looked like a giant.
Her grin grew. “Lord Hereford. How good to see you.”
The men looked from her to him and back, then seemed to fade away into the background, and Anna drifted off with them. Eva thought that amusing. Lord Hereford reached for her hand to place on his arm. “I’m happy to see you as well.” His gaze drifted over to the men who were making Anna laugh. “I see you’ve met some of my set.”
“Yes, they’re lively, fun.”
“Good words for them. Men with good hearts.”
“That’s what the duke said, too.”
“Then I stand by my confirmation of the truth. Finer men you might never meet. Once they settle down they might even make good husbands.”
Eva laughed. “And what about you? If they’re your friends does that mean people say the same of you?”
He looked troubled for a moment, and Eva’s interest heightened.
“What would people say of me? The answer to that question might be quite valuable if one were to know it.” He looked thoughtful. “I’d imagine certain ladies might say the same of me.” He wiggled his eyebrow. “But those are the ladies of a set who don’t know me very well.”
“So you might be open to the opportunity for a little fun, even entertainment of a more reckless nature?” She knew her eyes flashed challenge. She was curious what he would say.
But he answered, not missing a single beat. “I’ve never heard a more delightful proposition from a woman.”
“What? Is Lady Eva already propositioning you?” The duke suddenly stood beside them and spoke in undertones.
“Absolutely not.” Eva was dismayed at his insinuation.
“Archibald, behave.” Lord Hereford joked. “We are in the presence of one I would hope to impress.”
“Very well. I thought I’d heard something scandalous. I must have misheard.”
He stepped away obviously highly amused with himself.
“I apologize for my friend. For all my friends.”
“No need at all. I am pleased to hear you have a sense of adventure and a desire to enjoy some of the sights of England?”
“With you, anything will be a delight. I find your openness refreshing, engaging.” He nudged closer. “And alluring.” His lovely cologne washed over her in a tantalizing smell as he dipped closer to her. Had he said alluring? Mmm. His very closeness drew her in like nothing she’d even known.
“Thank you.”
The duke called them into dinner. He led his wife in first. Then Lord Hereford held his arm out to Eva and he went in second. Second. He was second in nobility to the duke! She wondered his story and determined to learn his family tree. Anna followed on the arm of one of the duke’s friends, Lord Castlebury. Two by two, they all entered.
The table was dressed in such an appealing manner that Eva sucked in her breath. “Why. This is lovely.”
Jane turned to her and smiled. “I do enjoy thinking up some of this myself, so I thank you.”
Each place had a name card. Lord Hereford led her around the table until they found their names, thankfully situated together. He held out her chair and she sat, along with the other women in the room. Then when they were all seated, the duchess nodded and the duke called for the meal to begin.
Eva had never been so enchanted. At a nod from Jane, attractive men in well-fitting uniforms placed just the right amount of food on her plate and within moments, everyone had their first course. The duke picked up his spoon and they all took their first bite of soup.
“Mm. Oh your grace, this is delicious.” Eva called to Jane at the other end of the table.
Everyone stopped eating to stare at her. She looked to Anna who only appeared amused but shook her head a tiny bit. What had she done wrong?
The more they ate, the more bored Eva became. Lord Hereford talked of the weather three times. Then he mentioned an upcoming ball. He asked about her hobbies, her “proficiencies” he called them. And she could only guess what would be appropriate to answer. She thought back to Pride and Prejudice and the many immersive events she’d participated in. Anna’s needlepoint came to mind. “I enjoy needlepoint. I love to draw.”
He nodded, a glazed look overtaking his face.
She obviously failed at making boring conversation exciting. And Lord Hereford didn’t look any more willing to give it a go than she. She looked up and down the table for a moment. In only a month, she was leaving, no matter what happened. There was nothing she could say to damage the duke and duchess—they were a ducal couple. “Well, I for one would like to know why they haven’t allowed the waltz at Almack’s.” Was that scandalous enough?
The men rolled their eyes. And Lord Tillsdale snorted. “Because it’s Almacks.”
The duchess grinned. “I heard it from the most reputable source that they are beginning to allow it, but that each person has to gain individual approval before you are allowed to dance it.”
The women in the room looked significantly more excited than the men. But Eva found the conversation interesting. So, talking about the waltz was not scandalous. At least it created something unique to say. The ladies started talking about when they’d learned to waltz.
Lord Hereford smiled. “We’ve had the waltz at most grand balls besides Almacks this season, and no one has been scandalized.”
The duchess laughed. “Almost no one.”
“True. A few of the more conservative among us might have fainted straight away, the first time the three-step music started.”
Eva laughed. “And what about Prinny? Hasn’t he been dancing the waltz for years?”
“Oh, well of course. But his wife’s from Germany. It came to his household through her, he says.”
“Right, but we all know he doesn’t even talk to the woman, let alone dance with her.”
“But if you are so unfortunate as to be invited to a party at Prinny’s, you expect a certain lack of propriety and are expected to keep it to yourself.”
“Ah, what happens at Prinny’s, stays at Prinny’s. Is that it?”
The men at the table burst into laughter. The duke and duchess most especially burst into fits, and Anna snorted into her lemonade.
“My, but she’s clever.” Lord Tillsdale looked her over in such an appraising appreciation that Lord Hereford bristled beside her, and she looked away, embarrassed.
The duke raised his cup. “To a new phrase that will soon spread throughout the ton.” He winked at her. “Coined by our clever Lady Eva.”
They raised their cups in salute and everyone took a sip.
The second and third courses came and went, and Eva felt like she wouldn’t be able to take another bite. But the conversation had picked up, and she was happy for a slightly braver group.
“I have another thing I’d like to understand better.”
Everyone eyed her, Anna looking slightly nervous on her behalf, but Lord Hereford’s expression of expectation made her grin. “I want to understand this whole idea of a blue stocking. Men, do you really wish for your wife not to be educated on certain subjects?”
“Ooh, I’d be careful how I answered that one.” The duchess laughed. “That’s a trap if I ever saw one.”
Eva dipped her head. “True enough. But it’s something I’ve given years of thought, and I’d love a first-hand response.”
The men looked slightly uncomfortable, but Lord Hereford tapped his fingers on the tabletop. “Might I have a go?”
She held out her hands. “By all means.”
“I have been considering this very topic quite often in the past month already, without you asking. And I’ve been paying attention to our topics of conversation and the ladies who are all quite lovely, but limited in the subjects about which they converse. I think we might do ourselves a disservice to reject the more forward thinking of our women, or to steer clear of one who wants to study the more advanced subjects.”
Eva nodded. His response was a decent beginning to a well thought out and fair understanding. She was impressed. “And those who wish to talk of politics, who would enjoy groups that study the arts and the latest poets. Perhaps even Byron could join such a group to share his latest words. What think you of these?”
Lord Hereford nodded. “Again, I’d welcome the change.” He looked around the table at the guests, who had the varying degrees of discomfort. “I don’t say I speak for everyone here.”
The duchess smiled. “You’ve asked a question at a friendly table. For I hold discussions like those you speak of weekly here in my home. You’re welcome to join us this Thursday.”
“Oh, I’d be most interested.”
“And I.” Lord Hereford glanced back at Eva for approval, which he heartily gave.
The duchess raised her eyebrow. “I’d be interested to hear what you make of our talks, Lord Hereford.”
“And I’d be honored to attend.”
“This very week we are welcoming two of the most forward thinkers of our time.”
The silence that responded to her statement told Eva a few things about how the ton viewed her guests.
“But the dukes of Northumberland and Cumberland will also be present, and I do believe we’ve convinced Sussex to join us.”
“Royal Dukes? Excellent!”
“If he can find it in himself to travel. But he has agreed to come and finds news of our discussions most intriguing.”
The conversation continued until the men separated and the women were left to themselves for a moment. Anna approached and under her breath, Eva mumbled. “Does no one talk in this century?”
“They talk. They’re just selective about what they say.”
Eva hoped that perhaps she could continue nudging the conversation into interesting subjects. Either way, her efforts seemed to attract Lord Hereford. She just needed to decide if that was a good thing.
9
Oliver found himself thinking of Lady Eva quite a bit more than he thought about anyone or anything else. At breakfast he wondered how she preferred her eggs. Then as he sat to answer correspondence, he wondered at her hand in writing letters, and that led him to wonder if he would ever receive a letter from her own hand. Then he realized that such a thing would mean they were engaged to be married and he shocked himself at his great delight in such a thought.
After walking the back length of his home for over a quarter an hour, puzzling over why the woman could have such a hold on him, his mother shooed him out of the house. “We have this lovely park. Go be in it.” She waved her hand.
His pace picked up in a rapid effort to lose some of his energy and distract himself from Lady Eva’s smile, which was at present the only thing he could think of for any great length of time. All other thoughts flitted about and left the moment they entered his awareness. He shook his head. It was still incredibly early to be out wandering the park, and he was grateful—for it meant he wasn’t likely to meet a single other person as he tried to sort through his feelings.
Hadn’t he just been hoping to meet someone like Lady Eva, someone he could perhaps grow into a love match? But his feelings had escalated so quickly, and that made him uncomfortable. He didn’t know her. No one had heard of her family. And his mother would certainly have opinions about her. But Eva was so refreshingly bold, so real.
He laced his fingers behind his back and paced in front of a large water fountain. The mist from the falling water drifted and bounced through the air in tiny droplets, refreshing his upturned face. What was he concerned about, really? He could simply get to know the woman. He was in prefect control of his actions, was he not? Emotion, attraction or not. He could move forward with a rational approach as well as anyone.
“Lord Hereford?” Her voice shook him to his core, and he stopped himself from gripping his chest, but only barely. Lady Eva. She approached from a nearby copse of trees, her hair falling freely around her shoulders, wearing what might be a morning dress? But it looked as though she’d casually thrown it on. She adjusted one shoulder so that it did not slide down again, bearing her skin.
He swallowed twice before speech would come. “Lady Eva.” He clipped his heels together and bowed. He stepped closer, drawn with a power he hardly knew how to counter. “It’s good to see you this morning.”
She smiled and her whole face lit. “And you as well. I was thinking how such a lovely walk would be benefited by excellent company.”
He held out his arm for her to take. “And do I qualify as such company for you?”
She paused a moment until he turned his gaze back to her face. “You are the most excellent.”
His heart pounded in response. Unsure what to say, he dipped his head. “Those words from you have twice their value.”
She smiled as though she guarded a well-kept secret.
“Might I ask your thoughts?”
“You may.” She skipped a step, still holding fast to his arm. “I was thinking how well-spoken you are and how delightful it is to hear such things with a well-turned phrase.”
He found that curious, especially as he was unable to put two words together very well at the moment, but if his manner pleased her, all the better.
He looked over her shoulder. “Let’s not lose your maid…” He searched in vain for anyone following. Then he turned, aghast. “Have you come alone?”
To his great surprise, her face colored with guilt. “I didn’t wish to wake her.”
“Wake her? She was undoubtedly awake…”
“Oh, was she? I guess I didn’t think of it.” Her gaze dropped and her slipper nudged a rock at her feet out in front of her gown. “I sought some solitude this morning. No one knows I slipped away.”
He shook his head, uncertain how to proceed. They were alone without chaperone, her without even so much as a maid. “I should deliver you to the duke’s home.”
“Must you? So soon?” Her eyes widened and he was almost overcome with happiness at the evidence she wished to be with him.
“Well. It would be the gentlemanly thing to do. It would never do to be caught alone here in the park. And since you didn’t inform anyone, they will undoubtedly be concerned.”
“If we must return, then we must. But perhaps a quick turn before? No one will be up for hours yet.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “I would be pleased to take a turn. And then equally pleased to return you to your friends.”
“Thank you.”
They turned down a lesser used path. “I’ve walked these paths since I was a young lad.”
“Have you? Which is your favorite?”
He shook his head, grinning.
“What? Have I said something inappropriate?”
“No, not at all, on the contrary. I find myself continually delighted by the things that come out of your mout
h. No one has ever asked me such a question, not even my mother.” He frowned. “And now I must think of a suitable response.” He picked up their pace. “If we hurry, we can make it there before you must return.”
“Oh, how exciting.” She seemed genuinely interested which again he found refreshing.
In not more than a few moments, he turned into a path lined with hedgerows. “This is my favorite.” The hedges rose up to their waists. “When I was young, it was quite a challenging maze for me to navigate.” He winked.
“And for others to come find you.”
‘Precisely. I could lengthen out our walks in the park by another hour at least because of this path.”
“I see the cleverness of it.”
“Now you tell me something you enjoyed from childhood.”
“Ah, let me see. You might appreciate this one. I used to spend time dreaming up all the things I’d love to do if I ever had a season in London.”
“Did you, now!”
“I did. And I made a list, in a journal I have. I call it a bucket list.”
“A bucket list?”
“Yes, you know, things to fill up my bucket with before I die.”
“Interesting. I’ve never heard it called that. But tell me. What are some more of the things on this list of yours?”
“You’ll think me so randomly silly I don’t know if I dare.”
“How can I be a part of your wish fulfillment if you don’t tell me?”
She lifted her lashes, and the expression she gifted him was so full of appreciation he almost pulled her into his arms right then.
“I wish to see a perfumaria. And another merchant to buy ribbons.”
“So far your requests seem so perfectly mundane, I confess to being quite disappointed.”
“How ungallant.”
“Surprise me. Show me you are as I suspect—delightfully unique, a step above the other women I know.”
“If you think you can handle my outlandish thoughts.”
“Handle?”
“Oh, um, if you think you will still be interested…”
“I have no doubt of that.”
“I’d like to dance near the banks of the Thames with the moonlight shining on the water.”
Back to his Lordship: Clean time travel regency romance (Twickenham Regency Romance Book 2) Page 6
