A bad back? Sounds more like a rather convenient lie to me. But if that is what you wish to pretend, who I am to question you? Just don’t think you are getting away without rendering a proper apology, Lord Brooke.
She counted to ten before painting a concerned look on her face and stepping in close to Alex.
‘I am so sorry that you have also been unwell, Lord Brooke. It appears to have been an unfortunate week for both of us. Pray tell me, how did you manage to injure your back?’ she asked.
Alex shot her a look of surprise and she heard him swallow deeply. He was rattled. Good. Why should she be the only one feeling uncomfortable at this moment? However, she felt a pang of disappointment, as it appeared Lord Brooke was going to transpire to be an unworthy adversary. Arrogance was bad enough, but if it was coupled with stupidity or, even worse, laziness, she would retire from the battlefield. There would be no honour, or fun, in besting him if that were the case.
David stepped forward, but Millie shot him a look that stopped him in his tracks. She was prepared to be polite, but Lord Brooke would have to fend for himself. One false move on anyone’s part and she was ready to turn on her heel, walk back to the main gate and go home.
‘Riding in the park,’ Alex replied. ‘I . . .’ At that moment, his gaze drifted over her head and he raised a hand and waved.
As she turned to see who had captured his attention, Millie was certain she heard Alex whisper ‘Thank God.’
A barouche with its hood folded down had turned into the head of the drive and entered the park. Seated in the carriage were two women. She squinted and could just make out the Strathmore family crest on the side of the carriage.
‘That’s Mama nearest to us and the lady on the other side of her is our Great Aunt Maude,’ Alex explained.
‘Maude shouldn’t be out in this cold weather, but Mama could not talk her out of a visit to the park today,’ added Lucy. Out of the corner of her eye, Millie saw Charles and David exchange a quick glance.
When David cleared his throat and made mention that he had been remiss in not introducing Charles to his mother or aunt, Charles developed a sudden interest in the general wellbeing of elderly Aunt Maude and suggested they should make haste and catch up with the slow-moving carriage.
‘Come on, Lucy, Mama will wish to see you’ David said, taking his sister firmly by the hand.
As the others headed toward the carriage, Alex turned and gave Millie an elegant bow.
‘Would you allow me to accompany you, Miss Ashton? I am sure my mother would like to make your acquaintance; she has heard a lot about you from Lucy.’ He offered her his arm and for a moment, she was tempted to tell him what he could do with his miraculously discovered manners, but she knew it would only disappoint her mother. She gritted her teeth and placed her arm in his. ‘Good,’ he replied and they set off, following the others.
Millie hoped the Duchess of Strathmore was more like David than Alex in her treatment of newcomers. Millie was pleased to discover that instead of a fearsome society matron, the woman sitting in the barouche was a pure delight. As soon as the group approached, the Duchess registered the distressed look on Lucy’s face, and called out to her footman to let down the steps.
The duchess did not fuss over Lucy; rather she spoke in a firm but tender way to her daughter. However, Millie did begin to suspect that quite a number of people were aware of the ‘chance’ meeting between the Ashtons and the Radleys in Hyde Park that afternoon. The arrival of the Duchess of Strathmore’s carriage at that very moment did appear to be rather fortuitous.
After a short talk, and some head nodding on Lucy’s part, matters were resolved. Millie managed to catch snippets of the conversation, during which she heard the duchess tell Lucy to slow down and not suffocate her new friend. This was followed by some sage advice, counselling Lucy to allow Millie to get a word in edgeways.
Alex stood quietly by Millie’s side as they waited for his mother to finish with Lucy. Then David introduced Charles and the obligatory pleasantries were exchanged all around.
While her brother chatted with the duchess, Millie tuned her ears to listen to Alex’s breathing. Every so often, he appeared to struggle with his breath. It would catch in his throat and the muscles in his arm would firm just a little. He would then suck in a large amount of air and appear to hold it. She turned to him after he had done this several times, and she could see a look of pain on his face.
Perhaps he really had injured himself; he certainly appeared to be suffering from some mysterious malady.
I hope he was not telling me the truth, now that I have vowed to dislike him for eternity.
Her musings were disturbed as both David and Charles stepped aside and Alex brought her forward to meet his mother. He gave his mother a bow, to which she responded with a regal nod of her head. Millie saw them both exchange a grin and realised the formalities were for her benefit.
‘Mother, may I introduce Miss Millicent Ashton, daughter of Mr and Mrs James Ashton, lately of Calcutta, India. Miss Ashton, my mother, Lady Caroline Radley, Duchess of Strathmore,’ Alex announced.
He released Millie from his arm and she dipped into her best curtsy. ‘Your Grace.’
When she rose, the duchess held out a hand and as Millie accepted it, she was drawn into a warm embrace. She felt a flush of red come to her face as the duchess placed a kiss on her cheek.
‘Miss Ashton, I am so pleased to finally meet you. Lucy has not stopped talking about you since the night of the ball at your uncle’s house.’
Millie shot a glance at Lucy, who was staring at the ground as she dragged her slipper through the stones at her feet.
‘It was a pleasure to meet Lucy and I am sorry I have not been well enough to visit in the subsequent days. I think Lucy and I have much in common,’ Millie replied. Lucy’s head shot up and a smile lit her face.
The duchess smiled. ‘I am afraid Lucy can get a touch overwrought when she finds a new friend, and some girls find her behaviour a little difficult to comprehend.’
As Millie looked at Lucy, she realised how alike she and her new friend were. She could understand why the simpering misses would avoid Lucy, despite her connections.
‘Thank you, Your Grace. I knew I liked Lucy the moment I met her,’ she replied. Then, turning to Lucy, she held out her hand. ‘You seem to like a lot of things that I would not expect a duke’s daughter to be interested in. You have not once mentioned fashion, or which of the young gentlemen you think is the most handsome man in London. In fact, come to think of it, you sound just like me, only you speak faster.’
Lucy flipped up a stone at her feet and kicked it under the carriage.
‘I would bet a week’s worth of pin money that you know all the oceans and seas and could point them out on a map with your eyes closed. Though I think I could give you a run for your money when it comes to the Scandinavian fjords,’ Millie said.
Lucy laughed.
‘Millie, I do like clothes and hats, it’s just that I want to talk about other things. I like jewels, but I want to know where they came from and how they were formed, not just look at them and think they are pretty. I know, for instance, that sapphires come from India and I was hoping you might tell me about them,’ Lucy replied.
The duchess put a hand to her lips and gave a delicate cough.
Lucy’s gaze settled on the jewel in Millie’s nose, before she turned away and gave Alex a quick look. He smiled at his sister.
What a coincidence that the man who likes blue would just happen to have a sister who mentioned sapphires.
Millie smelled a rat, but she was not going to spoil the mood. Lucy appeared to be happy. Charles and David were both smiling, as was the duchess. As for Lord Brooke, well, he kept mumbling something under his breath, but he was also smiling.
Even Great Aunt Maude, sitting wrapped up in thick woollen blankets to ward off the cold, was smiling.
‘Since you are well again, Miss Ashton, I shall send a note arou
nd to your mother inviting you both to an early afternoon visit at our home tomorrow. I did not get much of an opportunity to catch up with Violet when we attended the party, and I have been most anxious for us to become reacquainted. We were both debutantes in the same year, and she was a good friend of my late sister’s.’
The duchess gave a nod of her head towards David, who briefly touched his fingers to his heart.
‘Now Lucy, I think you should come home with me and get a cold compress for your face. We have dinner with the bishop at Fulham Palace this evening and you do not want to be arriving with puffy eyes. I am certain Miss Ashton’s brother will not keep her long in the chilly climes of the park, as she has been unwell.’
Whether the duchess’s last comment was an observation or a direction, Millie was unsure. Lucy did as her mother bade and climbed up into the carriage, taking the seat next to her elderly aunt. She gave them a half-wave as the carriage lurched forward and they drew away from the group.
With Lucy out of the way, Charles and David wasted no time in addressing the real reason for their visit to the park. As the Strathmore carriage rolled away, they spotted a spanking new phaeton at the end of the line of carriages. Making hurried promises to return as soon as they could, Charles and David dashed off to take a closer look.
‘They are not even attempting to be subtle,’ Alex observed.
‘No,’ Millie replied.
‘Unfortunately, since they have left us with no chaperone, we cannot stray too far from here. We will have to be content to walk the length of the driveway and try to avoid badly driven vehicles.’
He took her hand, but rather than place it in the crook of his arm, Lord Brooke simply held it as they began to walk. She did not know if it was a deliberate solecism on his part, but she found it odd; it was almost as if he were attempting a public display of ownership.
‘You must realise that today’s meeting was prearranged,’ he said, without looking at her. ‘I asked your brother to bring you here as soon as you were well enough to be out in society once more. I, too, have been anxious to see you again.’ He stopped and drew in a ragged breath.
He turned to her and she could see his face was a study of serious intent. ‘I am so sorry for the way I behaved towards you at the party; my behaviour was inexcusable and boorish. Please accept my deepest and most heartfelt apologies for the pain I must have caused you. My only defence is that I was in agony and not thinking clearly. I am grateful that David rescued me before I turned your night into a total disaster.’
‘You did,’ Millie replied, adamant that he would not get off so lightly for his churlish behaviour at the party.
‘Pardon?’
‘You did ruin my whole night. You humiliated me in front of hundreds of other people and you continued to stare at me for the remainder of the evening. Since then, you have sent me three magnificent floral arrangements, without having the decency to sign your name or even offer an apology. Correct me if I am wrong, but I take it they did come from you?’
Alex nodded his head. ‘I am apologising now.’
‘Very well then, your apology is accepted, Lord Brooke. Please let go of my hand,’ she snapped.
‘No. Not until you tell me how to get into your good graces,’ he demanded.
She stopped mid-stride and attempted to snatch her hand back, but he held it firmly. She gave him a hard stare, knowing she could not afford to create a scene in such a public place. What was his game? He had made his apology and she had accepted it. He should have politely steered her in the direction of her brother and said nothing more.
He stepped in closer and spoke so only she could hear. ‘Please, I need to know how I can make this up to you. I need you to —’
‘Need me to what?’ she interrupted, raising her eyebrows.
Alex looked over her shoulder, seeming to search the landscape for an answer. She heard him take a deep breath and swallow before he spoke.
‘I need you to like me. I like you. I know I was a complete arse at the party, and I am terribly sorry. I did not know what to do or how to talk to you. To be honest, I still don’t know. You have taken me completely by surprise.’
Millie’s world tilted on its axis and she blinked as she waited for it to right itself. But instead, it stayed exactly where it was, slightly off-centre and a little out of focus.
Now it was her turn to struggle for air and be utterly lost for words. She shook her head; this could not be happening. She reminded herself that he was Lord Brooke, the man she had spent the past few days intensely disliking. His only redeeming feature was his lovely sister. Why should he care about what she thought of him? Her mouth opened and closed twice, but nothing came out.
He smiled at her and his whole face lit up. His magnificent green eyes sparkled.
Oh God, you are so beautiful. Is this how you hold sway over everyone: break them down and then make them like you? This is going to end badly, I just know it.
‘Did you like the flowers?’ he asked, skilfully turning his smile to a shy grin. ‘I chose them especially for you, to match your stunning blue eyes.’ He chuckled. ‘Though I expect you will take me to task over the lavender; it was the closest thing to blue the florist could find this morning. He was struggling to find summer flowers in the hothouses, so again I will have to beg your forgiveness.’
Her heart leapt. He had not been sending the flowers to hurt her; rather, he had been trying to apologise in his own odd, clumsy way. She found his lack of finesse strangely appealing. How this god of a man could make a mess of a simple apology was beyond her, but he was obviously earnest in asking for her forgiveness. She had been wrong about other people before, but she still sensed he was holding a great deal of himself back.
‘Hey ho, you two,’ David called out, as he and Charles returned. ‘All sorted?’
Alex and Millie continued to stare silently at one another.
‘Hello,’ David tapped Alex on the shoulder. His brother’s head snapped around and David took a step back, hands held up in surrender. ‘I was just trying to get you to come back to the real world. May I remind you that you are standing in the middle of the mad hour in Hyde Park?’
‘Not to mention that Miss Ashton’s brother is standing two feet away, wondering why you have hold of his sister’s hands,’ Charles added. Millie looked down and saw that Alex was holding not one but both of her hands. She stared dreamily down at them, thinking how perfectly they fitted within his grasp.
Then she remembered who he was, and slowly withdrew her hands. He was being nice to her for no other reason than his concern for his sister. If he could not make peace with Millie, then she would find it impossible to visit at Strathmore House and Lucy would never forgive him.
She stepped back and gave a nod of her head. ‘Yes, Lord Brooke and I have settled our differences; you can tell Lady Lucy that everything is fine. I shall speak to my mother about arranging a visit to see her tomorrow.’
Her heart silently accepted that as she meant nothing to Alex and never would, it was now safe. He was a marquess, someday a duke; men like him did not fall for unfashionable girls like her. They barely noticed them. He would marry one of the diamonds of the season; in fact, he probably already had a fiancée or at least an unspoken understanding with someone.
She and he would be friends, nothing more, and if their friendship made her life within the ton a little easier, she would join the long list of his admirers, however reluctantly. She turned to her brother, who offered her his arm. As she took it, she sighed. ‘I think I should like to go home now, Charles; I am feeling a touch weary. Do you mind if we leave?’
Charles and the Radley brothers exchanged a brief farewell and he escorted Millie out of the gate and onto Park Lane. They were at the corner of Union and Mill streets, away from the crowds of the park, before he finally spoke. ‘So how did it really go? Did you manage to sort things out, or did you just reach some form of détente for the sake of Lady Lucy?’
His words ba
rely stirred Millie from her thoughts. ‘Hmmm?’
She stepped off the pavement, and began to cross the street. Charles took a firm hold of her arm and steered her clear of a flower cart as its driver lost control of the reins and the horse and cart suddenly backed up.
‘Pay attention, Millie; you can’t daydream and walk across a busy street at the same time. You’ll get us both run over if you do, and I for one will not appreciate it,’ Charles chided her as he guided her safely to the other side of the street.
‘Sorry, I did not see the cart,’ she replied. Her mind was still full of a certain young man’s eyes, his smile and a declaration that she had taken him completely by surprise.
He is a friend. We are friends. He is Lucy’s brother and he is —
She felt a hand on her back firmly pushing her forward. She took a step and followed it with another, then another, until her toes hit a stone edge. Millie stopped and looked up. They were home.
Charles was halfway up the front steps and the look on his face was one of bewilderment and frustration. He pointed to the front door and motioned for her to follow him. When she turned her head and looked back down Mill Street, her brow furrowed: she had no recollection of having walked the last block to their home.
She called out to him, ‘Well?’
‘Can you please come inside? I don’t particularly like you bellowing at me from out in the street like some early-morning orange-seller,’ Charles replied.
He threw his hands up in disgust, turned on his heel and marched into the house.
She shrugged her shoulders. Lifting her skirts, she ascended the steps in the most graceful manner she could muster; Millie was fast learning that in London, you never knew who was watching.
‘That looks good, am I ready?’ Alex asked impatiently as his valet stood, giving Alex’s evening clothes one final inspection.
‘Nearly done, my lord; I just need to straighten your cravat,’ Phillips replied, as he stepped forward and tucked in a wayward inch of neckcloth.
Letter From a Rake: Destiny Romance Page 7
