“There you are, Daisy!” Her mother’s exasperated voice cut through the room.
As if Daisy’s appearance in her chamber was some sort of magic act. Daisy smiled. “I’m sorry if I worried you, Mother. I had a bit of a mishap with my gown.”
“Yes, so I heard.” Her mother’s lips were pursed in annoyance. “Really, Daisy, is it so difficult to make it through an afternoon without some sort of accident?”
Normally those words would have cut her, but Daisy’s smile only grew.
I am not afraid of your mother.
The man truly was her hero.
Her mother eyed her suspiciously. “You are in awfully good spirits. Am I to believe that you had a successful tour of the gardens with Lord Merrick?”
The hopeful glint in her mother’s eyes made her want to laugh. “I am not certain how a garden tour could be deemed successful, but I had a pleasant afternoon, if that is what you were asking.”
It wasn’t, and they both knew it, but Daisy was not about to engage in idle chatter about the possibility of Lord Merrick courting her when she had no intention of being courted by anyone but Griff.
Her mother’s gaze turned suspicious. “If your good humor is not because of Lord Merrick, I suppose your father has talked to you about Lord John.”
The ensuing silence grew lengthy as Daisy stared at her mother and tried to remember who Lord John was. Despite the amnesia surely clouding her mind, a bit of sick dread churned in her stomach.
She blinked, covering her belly with her hands, at the memory of the pompous lord who’d only deigned to be kind to her very recently. “What about Lord John?”
Her mother’s smile was smug. “He talked to your father this morning about his wish to court you.”
All that giddy joy from earlier seemed to evaporate leaving her hunched over and slightly sick. “Did he?”
Her mother did not seem to notice the lack of enthusiasm in her response. “Indeed, he did. Who would have thought you could catch the eye of such a distinguished gentleman, hmm?”
Her smile belied the sting of her words and Daisy was left scrambling. “But...But…”
But I do not love Lord John!
Lord John was relatively young, excessively wealthy, and undeniably well-connected. Whether or not she loved him did not hold much sway. Or any, really.
She forced herself to think about what would convince her parents that Lord John was not the answer to their matrimonial prayers. “But I thought you had your sights set on me making a match with His Grace?”
Her mother stilled in the act of tidying her own locks in the mirror to their right and turned back to Daisy, tilting her head to the side to consider her. “He has said nothing to your father.”
“Yes, but the house party has only just gotten underway,” she said. Her voice sounded too high and breathy as she scrambled to buy time for herself. And for the duke too, come to think of it.
He would realize that he cared for her eventually, if he hadn’t already. He just needed time to see that he could trust her with his heart.
All she wanted was time. Was that asking for too much? “Perhaps he just hasn’t gotten around to speaking with Father,” she said.
Her mother frowned. “I heard that he was planning to leave in the morning. That hardly sounds like the actions of an interested suitor.”
“Oh, uh…” Drat. Her mother was right. She pursed her lips as she tried to concoct a reason for her mother to have hope in the duke’s interest. Preferably, a reason that did not include telling her mother about a certain tryst in the stables. “Er…”
Her mother cocked her head to the other side, her eyes narrowing further as she studied her daughter. “Dear, he did not even offer to escort you through the gardens this afternoon. He chose to escort that lovely Miss Pearson instead.”
Daisy couldn’t quite hide her flinch. Lovely, indeed.
Her mother’s gaze turned slightly pitying. “No dear, I’m afraid I was overestimating your charms when I dared to hope you might ensnare a duke.”
Her mother laughed lightly, and Daisy tried to smile.
She tried, but she was fairly certain it came across as a grimace. “It is just that…”
Her mother arched her brows expectantly.
“It is just that I quite enjoyed my time with him,” she finished in what was quite possibly the biggest understatement of the decade.
“Did you?” Her mother’s eyes widened in surprise and a new interest.
“And do you think he also...enjoyed his time with you?”
Daisy nodded quickly. “I do.”
She tried her best not to blush under her mother’s scrutiny but despite her best efforts, heat crept into her cheeks as memory after blissful intimate memory invaded her mind’s eye.
“I see,” her mother said softly.
Daisy blinked, her spine straightening with new hope. “Will you speak to Father then? Tell him we just need a little more time.”
“Time, hmm?” Her mother made a tsking sound that set her nerves on edge. “Daisy, dear, time is something you are sorely lacking. This is your third season, you know.”
Daisy cringed. How could she forget when her mother reminded her on a daily basis? “Yes, I know.”
Her mother’s gaze sharpened with suspicion. “Daisy? Do you have reason to believe His Grace might have a special interest in you?”
The implication was clear and Daisy’s already-warm cheeks burned with embarrassment. Was it obvious that she’d let the duke kiss her? Could everyone see?
She shook her head quickly. “No, Mother.”
“I see,” she said.
Daisy fidgeted. “You do?” This time that phrase did not bring confidence. She itched to ask what exactly did she see, but she did not have the heart.
Her mother’s smile was small and enigmatic. “It is sweet that you are so optimistic about your chances, Daisy, but we are past the days of wishful hopes and idyllic dreams, I’m afraid.”
Daisy opened her mouth and then shut it. There was no point in arguing, not unless she wanted to confess that the duke had kissed her.
Several times.
Or that he’d proposed just the night before.
She pressed her lips together and tilted her head down to avoid her mother’s scrutiny.
Her mother’s tone lightened considerably. “But never fear, my dear. Lord John might not be so grand as a duke but he is an excellent prospect, and what is more…he has expressed an interest.”
Daisy nodded, her throat choked with frustration at the timing of it all. Lord John had treated her with nothing but disdain last season. Why did he have to undergo such a sudden and drastic change of heart?
“Cheer up, Daisy.” Her mother reached over and patted Daisy’s cheek lightly. “We may just find you a husband yet.”
Daisy forced an answering smile as her mother headed back toward the door leading to her own rooms.
When the door clicked shut behind her, Daisy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She sat in front of the vanity and studied her reflection as her lady’s maid bustled about behind her, twisting her hair into an elaborate coif.
She tried to remember the optimism that had made her feel like she was floating on a cloud just moments ago. She closed her eyes and thought of every kiss, every touch…
He would realize that she was the one for him, she knew it.
She opened her eyes and met her own hopeful gaze.
She just hoped that he wasn’t too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Griff scanned the crowd searching for his wallflower.
Mistakenly, he’d started with the walls.
He’d caught sight of Miss Mary and Miss Lily standing behind a potted fern, their heads bent together deep in conversation, but Daisy was nowhere to be seen.
Taking a lap about the room, he finally spotted her on the dance floor. Tonight she wore a gown of clear blue, the color of a pond on a sunny day.
/> He might have smiled except that her partner swung her about the floor in an almost possessive hold that made his heart thunder and his fists clench.
The man’s hand was a touch too low on her waist, his body a breath too close, his head bent as he whispered close to her ear.
Griff was the only man who should ever hold her like that. Ever.
Jealousy beat like a drum in his chest.
He made one step toward the dance floor, anger clouding his mind and his judgment as he vowed to claim the woman his heart already called his.
But a hand at his arm stopped him.
“They make a handsome couple, don’t they?” Lady Turley asked, a smug smile playing at the corners of her lips.
He scowled, looking down at the other woman. But his face softened. Daisy resembled her. “No. As a matter of fact, they do not.”
Lady Turley did not look the least bit surprised. In fact, her smile grew wider. “I must disagree, Your Grace. Lord John is quite handsome and…” She lifted her finger into the air. “He has gone through all the appropriate channels and asked her father to officially court her.”
He let out a low sound of dissent from deep within his throat. “And what if Daisy wishes to be with someone else?”
She shook her head, raising her eyebrows. “Lord Merrick?”
Griff turned toward Lady Turley, his arms crossing about his chest. “You know that I did not mean him.”
Lady Turley cocked her head to the side. “As you are leaving tomorrow, you surely don’t mean yourself.”
She had him there. And she had every right to be irritated with him. Rather than ask her father for permission, he’d snuck Daisy off to the garden and then to the barn. But he was after a much larger prize than just her hand. He wanted her heart. Did he explain that to Lady Turley? “I have changed my mind. I’m not leaving tomorrow.” He drew in a breath. “The truth is that I find myself quite taken with—” The music stopped and so did he.
He’d already waited too long to say the words Daisy ought to hear. There was no way he would say them first to her mother, of all people.
“Taken with...?” Lady Turley prompted, stepping closer.
“Your daughter and Lord John are returning from the dance floor,” he said instead as his eyes met Daisy’s. Hers grew wide and a touch desperate as they locked with his from across the room.
“I see that, Your Grace.” The older woman shifted so she was blocking his view, her smile replaced with a look of cunning. “It seems our time, in more ways than one, is quite limited.”
He looked back down at Lady Turley. Had he told Daisy he wasn’t afraid of this woman? Right now, the woman was terrifying. She’d surely trap him into confessing his feelings. And if he did not confess shortly, he suspected she would promise Daisy to the first gentleman who expressed an interest out of sheer spite. “Perhaps it's best I make an appointment with your husband tomorrow?”
She gave him another beaming smile, this one filled with approval, and tapped his arm once again. “I think that is an excellent idea.”
He looked back at Daisy and Lord John. A smile had split her face while Lord John’s grew darker by the second.
“Your Grace,” Lady Turley moved a touch closer. “I happen to know that my daughter has the next dance free.”
A low chuckle rumbled through him as he shook his head. “I must confess, Lady Turley, you are quite masterful.”
She laughed in response. “I’ve successfully married each of my children in most excellent matches.” Then she dropped her voice. “And each of them is glowingly happy.”
He looked away from Daisy once again to call Lady Turley on her earlier bluff. “And you truly thought Lord John might make your daughter glowingly happy?”
She winked then. “I know my daughter has the next dance free. A long waltz.” Then she turned toward Daisy and Lord John as they joined the group.
“Your Grace,” Lord John said through clenched teeth.
“Your Grace,” Daisy repeated giving a curtsey.
He dipped his chin in acknowledgement before he reached out his hand to Daisy. “I believe the next dance is mine.”
Daisy’s eyes widened but she said nothing as she looked at her mother who gave a single nod of acknowledgement. Slipping her hand into his, he tucked it into his elbow and started for the dance floor.
“What did my mother say?” she whispered as soon as they were far enough away to not be overheard.
He looked over at her. “You were right. She’s positively frightening.”
“Be serious.” Daisy squeezed his arm but he heard the laughter in her voice.
He relaxed a bit, much of his jealousy abating. “That Lord John has requested permission to court you.” And Lady Turley had done him a favor in telling him. She had her reasons, of course. And he’d already discerned that Lord John’s interest was not casual. But still. It was time to act, and if he hadn’t already decided that tonight was the night to confess his feelings, the threat of losing her to another would have no doubt done the trick.
Taking Daisy in his arms, the music started once again.
“She may have been incorrect, you know.” Daisy’s voice held a note of irrepressible mischief.
“Who might that be?”
“My mother.” She peeked up at him and he would have lost his heart right then and there if she hadn’t stolen it from him already. “She may be mistaken about Lord John’s intentions.”
He studied her closely. “Is that so?”
Her lips twitched up at the corners and he ached to see that smile that he’d begun to think of as his and his alone. “I am sorry to say I may have offended him during our last conversation.” She did not seem sorry at all. “It seems we have differing views on what constitutes a good match.”
He laughed as his hand pressed possessively against her back. “Is that so?”
“Mmm,” she murmured, triumph clear in her eyes. “So, you see. I believe my mother was mistaken.”
She’d done that for him. She’d rejected a decent marriage prospect and risked her mother’s wrath...for him. The thought left him so touched that for a moment he could not speak.
He could not wait to tell her that it was unnecessary, that he would never let another suitor come between them. But the crowd moved around them, and prying eyes—and ears, no doubt—were fixed on them.
Their talk would have to wait. But for now… For now, he would relish the fact that she was in his arms. Where she belonged.
They effortlessly moved about the dance floor, Daisy a natural dancing partner.
“Have I ever told you that dancing with you feels like walking on a cloud?” she said, her voice a touch high and dreamy.
He smiled at that. “You’re an excellent dancer.”
She shook her head. “I’m not. You are.”
“What do you mean?” He spun her again, moving them toward the doors that led out onto the terrace.
“Do you know how I seem to hit you with nearly every door we encounter?” Her gloved fingers squeezed his bicep.
“I did notice that.”
“Before I danced with you, that was how I moved on the floor. I’ve never been graceful.” Her cheeks flushed with that beautiful shade of pink he loved so dearly. “You make me this way.”
He nearly stopped on the dance floor in the midst of all the dancers. He wished to kiss her. He wished to profess his love here and now in front of all these people. “You make me different too.”
Her feet did trip on themselves then but he tightened his grip. “How so?”
He drew in a sharp breath, looking out into the dark night. “Do you think we could slip outside unnoticed?”
She shook her head. “I’m not certain. I’ve a partner for the next dance.”
“Who?” he asked, his nostrils flaring as jealousy clogged his throat once again.
“Lord Merrick,” she replied. “He asked earlier, I had assumed it was at your request.”
�
��It was not.” He scanned the room again, this time looking for his friend and wondering what this dance was all about.
“I’m free after that,” she whispered, the music reaching a crescendo as the end of the song neared. “Perhaps we could finish this conversation then.”
He’d like to pull her outside right this moment. The feelings that had been building within him threatened to burst from his chest.
Daisy was his future. He grew more certain every time he saw her or held her in his arms. And the more time that went by, the more impatient he grew to begin his life with her. And the only way to make that happen was to tell her how he felt, share his heart with her.
The music died out and he was forced to remove his hand from her waist and begin escorting her back to her mother’s side. Merrick was already there waiting, a knowing smile making his eyes dance.
“Do you think they’d notice if we just kept dancing?” he asked under his breath.
“I think everyone would notice,” she replied. “But I’ll be done soon enough.”
Merrick winked as he held out his arm for Daisy. What was his friend up to?
“I’m looking forward to our dance.” He tucked Daisy’s hand into his elbow. “I’m sure you are too after such a dreary partner.”
Now Griff knew the man was up to something. “What do you think—”
Merrick ignored him, pulling Daisy away. “Don’t worry, my dear, he’ll be gone by tomorrow.”
Griff knew that Merrick was playing him and yet he couldn’t quite control the jealousy rising inside him. He needed the world to know that Daisy would be his wife. His to have and to hold.
Now if he could just get her alone again, he could tell her how he felt and convince her to give him another chance to court her properly.
He watched Merrick and Daisy begin their dance, his arms crossing about his chest.
“Good evening, Your Grace.”
He turned to see Miss Pearson at his side as she dropped into a curtsey.
A Wallflower's Wish Boxed Set: Three Regency Romances Page 11
