Taming the Wild Captain

by Gemma Blackwood

"I would be very pleased to do so," answered Alice, writing his name on her card as a smile of delight drew out the dimples in her cheeks.

  Kirby offered her his arm and whisked her away towards the floor, where they were among the first couples to take their places for the dance.

  "You have saved me," Alice whispered, as the music started.

  "I was not quick enough to save you from the risk of dancing with that old fool, Colonel Moore. That would have been a fate worse than that of a wallflower." Kirby was an accomplished dancer, and found no difficulty in talking at ease while his feet traced out the necessary steps. Usually, he occupied himself with words of less substance. Dancing was a fine opportunity for empty flirtation. He found that, where Alice was concerned, that would not quite do. "Why on earth do you think he behaved so appallingly towards you? What can have made him take against you so?"

  "It is no surprise to me," said Alice. "Neither is it particularly appalling. You will understand when I explain it. It has been my lesson this Season that having a Duke as a brother-in-law can do nothing, in the eyes of Society's finest, to redeem me from the worst of sins: a poor family. The Duke has offered my father a sum of money to add to my dowry, which has been gratefully received, but it does not change the fact that Cathy married into greatness and was not born to it."

  "This is the worst kind of wretchedness!" exclaimed Kirby. "I am starting to think I should not have dissuaded you from your scheme of exploring the gaming hells, if polite society is so undeserving of you."

  Alice smiled thinly at his joke. "I am in a peculiar position, Captain. My sister's success means that I am expected to marry well, yet my family is such that no gentleman of consequence will ever think of me. And you know..." She glanced guiltily in Catherine's direction. "You are a man of the world and you will have heard the whispers about my sister's marriage. That it was not properly arranged – that she trapped the Duke with a scandal."

  "Nothing could be further from the truth! I have never seen a pair more abominably in love than Westbourne and your sister."

  "But Society cares little for love." Alice shrugged. "No matter. I am finding that as time goes on I am caring less and less for Society."

  "A dangerous turn of events," smiled Kirby. "Soon you will be thought quite as wild as I am."

  "Rejected by a Colonel only to dance with the notorious Captain Kirby," Alice mused. She spoke lightly, but Kirby sensed the uneasiness that lay beneath. "I wonder what will become of me now?"

  CHAPTER SIX

  The very last thing Alice could have imagined after their disagreement of the previous day was that Kirby would ask to dance with her.

  Still more surprising was the fact that, reluctantly, she found herself enjoying the experience.

  Kirby was a very fine dancer. In fact, he was renowned for it. His figure was tall and elegant, his steps strong and graceful. He was everything a woman would want in a partner except for being perfectly respectable.

  Well, no-one can have everything. As consolation for the Colonel's snub, he did passably well.

  There had been a time when Kirby's reputation as a rakehell would have filled Alice with delight. What better than to scandalise her sister by dancing with a man known as a drinker, a heavy gambler, and a flirt?

  The situation now was quite different. Alice was aware that her first Season was ticking by, and she had not managed to hold any gentleman's attention for any length of time. She felt her chances of success slipping from her grasp, and knew that spending too much time with Kirby would hardly improve them.

  Not that it would be a disaster if she ended the Season unwed. She was only eighteen – there were years to come before she could consider herself a failure.

  It was simply that she had hoped for so much more. She had hoped that the attention of the gentlemen would thrill her. She had hoped to be so enchanting that everyone would dance with her, regardless of whether her father was a poor man or the Prince Regent himself. She had hoped a great deal of very foolish things.

  Reality, of course, was nothing like her imaginings. Almack's was overcrowded and hot, and, despite the crowds, it still contained far too few people who cared to make her acquaintance. Her debut had impressed but failed to dazzle. The heat and foul air of summer in London was already tarnishing its shine.

  But Alice had a decided tendency to look for the best in things, and she was determined to enjoy herself despite her disappointments. Here she was at Almack's, dancing with an undeniably handsome man: exactly what she had dreamed of doing all her life. She could not repress the sensation of pleasure that rose in her chest as she danced with Captain Kirby. She could not call herself hard done by at all.

  When the first dance was concluded, Kirby held her gaze firmly as he made his bow. Something stirred in the darkness of his eyes – a flickering like the red smoulder of a hot coal. He carried with him the promise of fire. Alice was momentarily lost for words. How was it that, for all their talk, she only ever felt she truly understood Kirby when their eyes met?

  He escorted her back to Catherine and left her. She convinced herself that she had imagined the burning behind his gaze. It did not make any sense, after all – Kirby could not possibly be trying to woo her. Even if he were, he would have taken the opportunity to spend time with her after the dance, not simply returned her to her chaperone and disappeared.

  "The Captain dances very well," Catherine remarked as they sat down together.

  "Yes. I am so grateful to him for rescuing me." Alice caught sight of Mr Grantham on the other side of the room – he who had deserted her so faithlessly after the Colonel deemed her not worth a dance. Now he was watching her more closely than propriety called for. She hoped he was regretting his actions. "I should have been mortified to sit out for the first set."

  "If it happens again, I will have my husband take care of you. You need not rely on Captain Kirby again."

  "What do you mean?"

  "He is..." Catherine hesitated. "He is not the sort of man a young lady should be seen with overmuch. I understand why Harry invited him to stay with us, but I can't help but think that, with you in the house, it is far from ideal. Remember to keep a proper distance, Alice."

  Alice couldn't help but smile. "You are concerned I will fall in love with the Captain? Well, I confess there was a time when I thought him handsome. When we were all together in Larksley, before you and the Duke were married, I admit my head was turned."

  "That was not so very long ago."

  "I assure you, my mind is on other matters now." Alice patted her arm. "I have you to outdo in my choice of husband! A difficult task indeed, and one that does not allow for much distraction."

  A furrow of worry creased Catherine's forehead. "Let me be frank, Alice. I am not concerned that you will fall in love with the Captain. I am concerned that he will ruin you."

  "Ruin me!"

  "You know his reputation. That is – I hope you do not know the extent of his reputation, but what you do know ought to be more than enough. Please, do not smile at me so." Catherine clasped Alice's hand in hers. "I of all people know how fragile a woman's reputation can be."

  "Cathy, I am listening. Thank you for your warning." Alice sought out Captain Kirby, easy to find as he was taller than most of the gentlemen there, and saw him exactly where she might have expected: at the centre of a crowd of gentlemen, laughing raucously at someone's off-colour joke. "I will not speak to the Captain more than necessity demands."

  If only Catherine knew what had transpired between them at the piano – then she would have known there was nothing to worry about! The favour Kirby had done Alice by dancing with her was outweighed by far by the discourtesy of his refusal to help the Dowager Duchess. Even his handsome, sharp-cut face could not remedy that great ill. Alice filed away the memory of her dance with the Captain as one of the most pleasant of her London experiences, secure in the knowledge that neither her heart nor her head were at all at risk.

  Which only goes to show
what a very great deal Alice was yet to learn about hearts, heads, and handsome gentlemen.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  "I am in a dreadful funk this morning!" the Duke complained the next day at breakfast. In truth, it was hardly the morning any longer. After their late night at Almack's, the young people of the house had taken advantage of the Dowager Duchess's indulgence and only sat down to break their fast at half past eleven. Captain Kirby, naturally, was nowhere to be seen. "Almack's always puts me in this mood. It is so excessively formal and I am required to speak to so many dull people."

  "Now, now," said Catherine placidly. "It was not as bad as all that. Alice did very well to be engaged for every dance. Several young gentlemen were most taken with her."

  "A pity that I was not at all taken with anyone in return," sighed Alice, pouring the coffee. The Duke laughed.

  "Poor girl! Already world-weary at the age of eighteen! What shall we do with you?"

  "Take me out for a ride," she suggested at once. She knew she was not likely to be refused; it was always the Duke's wont to go riding the day after a ball. The constraints of his position in Society left him longing for the exhilaration of a galloping horse on a windy day.

  "An excellent scheme," agreed the Duke, as she had anticipated. He pushed back from the table, leaving his coffee half-drunk. "I'll fetch Kirby out of bed. He won't want to miss out."

  Catherine caught Alice's eye and shook her head ever so slightly. Of course, after her warning the night before, the last thing Alice ought to do was go riding with Captain Kirby. Alice smiled broadly, pretending not to notice. "I'll ring for a fresh pot of coffee. I can't imagine the Captain will appreciate such an unusually early start."

  "You are very bad," Catherine murmured, when the Duke was out of the room.

  "On the contrary." Alice spread another helping of jam on her toast. "I am sure I have no idea why you chastise me, Cathy."

  She did not wait for Kirby to appear at the breakfast table, but rushed to put on her cotton twill summer riding clothes. There was nothing Alice adored more in all her recently expanded wardrobe than her brightly-coloured riding gear with its sturdy buttons, gold braiding, and mariner's cuffs. It was the fashion to adorn a riding habit with almost mannish touches, reminiscent of naval uniforms, and Alice delighted in the added sense of adventure her costume imparted.

  She was certain she looked wonderful in her riding get-up, and this was confirmed by the rise of Captain Kirby's eyebrows as she came back down the stairs.

  "Will you be joining us, Miss Sharp?"

  "I have not put on my riding gear to sit at home and sew, Captain."

  A sardonic smile tugged the edge of his mouth. Was he pleased she was coming, or disappointed? It was so difficult to read the man!

  "I would not have you confined to the house on a day like this for all the world. Will you be joining us, Your Grace?" This last was addressed to Catherine, who smiled and shook her head.

  "I do not have the stamina to ride this morning, Captain. I am so much fatigued by last night's adventures that I am astonished the three of you have the energy to so much as mount your horses! I shall sit at home and amuse myself and the Dowager Duchess with the pianoforte, and we shall pass a very pleasant afternoon."

  Alice could not think of anything more miserable than staying inside while the wind blew and the sun shone. For a moment, she was half-afraid that Catherine was unwell – it was not like her sister to be inordinately fatigued by a little dancing – but the horses were being led round to the front of the house and Catherine waved them on so cheerfully that Alice did not bother pressing the matter.

  Alice's horse had been yet another of the presents she had received from her brother-in-law when she made her Come Out. He was a fine dappled grey she had christened Shadow, and he was the first horse she had ever been able to really call hers. She loved him to distraction, and never went to him without an apple in hand. She was stroking Shadow's nose and murmuring to him in the soft way he liked when she realised that it was not the groom standing beside her to help her mount, but Captain Kirby.

  "Are you ready, Miss Sharp?"

  Alice was certain that Catherine would not approve of Kirby giving her a boost onto the horse while the Duke and even the groom stood nearby, but she was at a loss for how to refuse him.

  "Thank you," she said, looping her hand loosely through the reins. Kirby bent and held out his right hand for her foot.

  A strange feeling of uncertainty washed over Alice as she placed her hand on Kirby's shoulder. He felt strong and stable – she was certain he would not let her fall – yet she suddenly had an inexplicable fear that she would not mount gracefully, or that she would somehow stumble. She had to swallow down a gulp of fear before placing her foot in his hand.

  Kirby lifted her smoothly upwards and in a moment she was sat side-saddle on Shadow's back. The horse whickered softly and chewed the bit. Alice's hand remained an instant too long on Kirby's shoulder, so that she almost lost balance, but she removed it at the last instant and gripped the saddle to settle herself.

  "You look quite the fine horsewoman," said Kirby. She could not tell whether he was serious.

  "Shadow and I are dear friends, Captain. There is nothing that we cannot conquer together." She turned her upper body towards his head with the air of conscious refinement which she had been at pains to learn. It was very important for a lady to look graceful atop a horse, even when her only audience was her brother-in-law and a rascally Captain of the militia.

  Kirby's smile took on that sardonic twist again. She almost asked him what he meant by looking at her that way – it seemed almost improper – before she remembered that she was supposed to be acting the fine lady.

  "Where shall we ride, Your Grace?" she asked the Duke, lifting her chin imperiously. The Duke returned her a roguish wink.

  "I've a mind to go hurtling down Rotten Row. It is still early enough to have a good gallop there. That is, if you think you're up to it, Miss Sharp? Ladies' Mile may be more to your taste."

  "I hope you're not suggesting I won't be able to keep up with you, Your Grace. You will be sorely disappointed when you see Shadow and I disappearing in the distance as you struggle along behind."

  "Now there's a challenge!" laughed Kirby. The Duke led them off out of the gate and Kirby guided his horse in beside Shadow. "My word, Miss Sharp – all this sneaking into gaming hells and galloping about the park – if you had been born a gentleman I should try to recruit you into my regiment! What a fine officer you'd make."

  "That is no way to speak to a lady," she chided him, with as prim an expression as she could manage. "I would certainly not join your regiment under any circumstances. Indeed, I am glad that I was born a woman. I have no taste for your wild exploits."

  "My wild exploits," he repeated, sounding delighted with the phrase. "I wonder what you have heard of me that brings such censure upon my head?"

  "You are a gambler, Captain."

  "True – but all Society gambles, Miss Sharp."

  "Not to the extent that you do. I have heard of such vast sums of money won and lost by your hand at the card tables that I cannot bear to repeat them."

  "Since you do not repeat them, I can hardly express my repentance. Tell me, have I other sins, by your estimation?"

  "Too many to count. Why, you have been at Amberley House a matter of days and already the wine cellar is half-empty, so Cook tells me."

  "A very pert accusation! But I admit it freely: I am a drinker, and by the standards of a dainty constitution such as yours, no doubt I am very far from proper in that regard."

  "Many gentlemen drink, Captain. I am pained to admit that it is not only drinking and gambling of which I accuse you."

  "Pray, go on. The experience is most edifying."

  Alice cleared her throat delicately. "There is the small matter of your frequenting certain clubs of very poor reputation. Clubs in which a young lady cannot be suffered to gain entrance – is that a proper ve
nue for a Captain, sir?"

  "If I were restricted, as you are, to only the well-thought-of parts of Town, Miss Sharp, I admit my activities would be much curtailed."

  "You are rumoured to have been involved in several duels."

  "That is the price of life in the militia, Miss Sharp. Too many hot-headed young men living too masculine a way of life. Through no fault of my own I find myself continually engaged in defence of somebody or another's honour. If it is any consolation, I am considered a crack shot – so much so that more often than not my opponent withdraws his complaint before it comes to the crunch."

  "It is not only gentlemen you have offended, I think."

  "How so?"

  "I do not wish to outline the specifics." In truth, this was because she did not know them. "But it is well known that you are no longer thought suitable company for impressionable young ladies."

  He laughed. "How fortunate, then, that you are not impressionable! Else you should be in great danger."

  "I assure you, Captain, I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

  "Have you dispatched a very great number of rogues, Miss Sharp?"

  "I flatter myself that I am less easily led astray than some."

  "Your summary of me is not a flattering one," he remarked, inclining his head to acknowledge her expertise.

  "I am sorry that it cannot be otherwise."

  "But I think it is not entirely accurate. You have done me an injustice, Miss Sharp. If I were really so great a rogue as you call me, how could a young lady such as yourself bear to be seen in public with me? And yet here we are, riding proudly through the streets of London side by side, and you are sitting your horse most confidently – why, you are not attempting to hide your face at all!"

  This was her moment of triumph: her final, fatal blow. "It is precisely this sort of conduct which my sister warned me against yesterday evening, Captain."

  The smile left his face. "Is that so?"

  "I run the risk of ruin every moment we are seen together, it seems."