Lady Fannia giggled. “How flattering, your grace, that in so short a time you’ve come to know one of us from the other. No other men are as perceptive as you.” She dipped into a curtsy then offered him her outstretched hand to kiss.
He kissed the air above it whilst locking gazes with the mother. She too curtsied. After the exchanges of greetings with all his guests, he went back to Lady Tolworth. “I do hope Lady Annia has not taken ill.”
“Thank you for your interest, your grace. My other daughter enjoys robust health.” She lifted her head heavenward. “Thanks to the good Lord. Truth to tell, I thought she would be accompanying us today, but she made her excuses to Fanny. My Annie loves her books. Thursday is the day she goes to both the lending library and to the booksellers.”
It stung that she preferred books to him. The day he had so enthusiastically looked forward to now seemed like the worst sort of drudgery. His only purpose in inviting Tuesday’s group to his house today was to have the opportunity to be with Annie. For some unexplainable reason, he wanted to show her this property that meant so much to him. He’d wondered if she would admire it as he did.
Out of the blue, he wondered if she had given her heart to another man. Was that why she had not come? The idea of losing his new-found friend to matrimony bothered him.
Despite the sun and mild temperatures which would otherwise have made this a very fine day, nothing could dispel his gloom. He must try to play the consummate host even if his heart was no longer invested in the endeavor. He led the group from the terrace which ran the entire width of Ripley Hall down to a meadow near the river. There his servants had set up a two tables, dressed them with ironed cloths, and began to unpack hampers. Another set about removing corks from the wine bottles.
Lady Fannia wasted no time in sidling up to him. “Where will you sit, your grace, for I plan to sit near so you can enlighten me on the history of this beautiful place.”
His demeanor was cool when he responded. “I prefer that you sit near Mr. Douglass. A man who goes to such lengths to write sonnets in praise of your beauty, my lady, must reap some reward.”
“But . . .”
Before she could respond, he turned to her mother. “You, my lady, must sit near me.”
Mr. Douglass, the viscount, and Mr. Swinnerton counted themselves fortunate to be seated near the lovely Lady Fannia.
As Alex sat down with Lady Tolworth, she launched into a catalogue of Lady Fannia’s attributes.
When she paused, he asked, “And what is your husband doing today?” It was obvious to him that Annie was the embodiment of her father. Only in a pretty way.
He barely listened to her ladyship’s response for his thoughts were on the missing daughter.
Sudden and distant cries prevented them from taking the first bite. It sounded like a woman in distress. Or possibly two.
He leapt up. “Someone’s drowning!” He started running toward the Thames, the others following.
Before they reached his small dock, he could see that a yawl had pulled up there, and a gray-haired man appeared to be attempting to rescue two bedraggled women, but one was too far away from him.
As Alex came closer, he could have sworn the woman farthest away was Annie. His chest exploded, his step quickened. He raced to the water’s edge and dove in.
He came to the water’s surface just where Annie was struggling to keep her wet head above water. The river was deep here, so deep his feet couldn’t touch the bottom. He hauled her into his arms and treaded water toward the shore, where a family of mallards was scurrying to get away.
Douglass, who was standing at the river bank, reached for Annie and helped to pull her drenched body from the water. Both of them fell, and one stray mallard promptly landed on her lap.
The gray-haired man and another lady were already standing there, dripping wet.
Damn, but that water was cold! With Lord Crest assisting him, Alex climbed onto the quay and went straight to Annie. He lifted her in his arms. One of Alex’s footmen relieved her of the duck and faced his master, the duck’s bottom aimed at the Duke of Axminster’s face. For the second time in a week, Alex found himself in the undignified position of facing a creature’s rear end. “Pitch it back into the water,” Alex snapped.
He began to stride back to his house. He had to get her warm. There was no telling how long she had been in that water.
“What the devil?” he finally asked her.
“My maid fell in and I foolishly thought to save her.”
“But you cannot swim.”
She nodded gravely. “Terribly stupid of me.”
“I didn’t know Lady Annia could be stupid.” He looked down at her affectionately and saw that her cheek featured a muddy print of a duck’s webbed foot. What the devil? First, a red cat’s paw, and now this.
The disarray of her hair that first night would now look lovely by comparison to today’s. Yet as he looked at the soggy mass, he could see that beneath her normally powdered tresses her hair was a lovely shade of blonde—somewhere between flax and white. It made her look all the more delicate.
He hugged her to him. “I’m glad you’ve come.” Even if she did display a muddy duck foot upon her lovely face.
* * *
Even the glow from being held in his arms, from hearing his I’m glad you’ve come could not dispel her misery. The water had been very cold, and even now she was chilled from her trembling lips to the tips of her icy toes. She could not stop shaking. Even her teeth rattled.
On top of her physical misery, she was mortified over her humiliating entrance. And how pitiable she must look! She was also incredibly remorseful that she had caused the poor duke to dive into those murky waters. He must be as miserable as she, but he continued to stride up the slope without even getting winded—or without his teeth chattering.
This was far worse than the day she lost her drawers.
The others were gathering around. That’s when Mama recognized her. She screamed. It was more of a wail, actually. “My Annie! Dear merciful Savior! She’s drowned!” She covered hers eyes. “I cannot look. Fanny! Has your sister drowned?”
Fanny’s voice choked when she answered. “It’s all my fault! I’ve killed her.” She began to sob. “The one I love best.”
In spite of her twin’s incredible selfishness, deep down she loved Annie. Best. Annie was too touched to display anger. “I. Am. Not. Dead,” she managed between staccato clashes of upper teeth against lower.
By now a drenched Eliza came up beside her and the duke, matching the duke’s long stride. “I’m ever so sorry, milady.” Her teeth, too, were clattering. “For tumbling into the water. And for not knowing how to swim.”
“I’m just happy neither of us drowned,” Annie said.
“I’m thankful our driver knew how to swim so he could rescue me,” Eliza said.
Lady Tolworth hurried to come abreast of them. “What do you man our driver? What means of transport brought you here?”
“We came in the potato boat, milady.”
Lady Tolworth gasped and clutched at her chest. “Do not tell me my daughter was conveyed here on a potato boat!”
Now Annie’s humiliation was complete. She’d thought no one would see her arrival, no one would see the conveyance in which she had come to Ripley Hall.
“Quick! My vinaigrette!” Lady Tolworth demanded. “I’m certain I am going to faint.”
Whilst Lady Tolworth was sighing heavily and ranting about the potato boat, Fanny claimed the vinaigrette, opened it and passed the sal volatile in it beneath her mother’s nose several times.
Annie wished she could faint—or die of mortification to extricate herself from her misery.
Several of the Axminster footmen had come to assist. The duke called to them. “Go into the house and see that there’s a fire in each fireplace.”
She couldn’t reach a fireplace too soon.
When he reached the top of the slope and level land, the cream-coloured br
ick of Ripley came into view. It was not an excessively large house, but it was sheer perfection. Perfectly symmetrical, it was in the Palladian style. A few steps led up to a long, classically balustraded terrace that fronted the structure.
She was anxious to enter and especially anxious to feel the fires. Once they entered the dinner room directly off the terrace, he turned to Lady Tolworth. “You will have to see that your daughter gets out of these wet clothes.” They entered a corridor that led to the home’s main staircase, and he began to mount the steps, with her mother, sister, and maid directly behind.
She found herself staring at the Axminster family portraits that lined the stairwell. Those black eyes, she decided, were a dominant family trait. Few of the long-dead stodgy looking men were in possession of blue or green eyes.
At the top of the stairwell was a portrait of a beautiful woman. From her clothing, Annie judged the painting to have been painted no more than thirty years ago. The dark-haired woman effected a faint smile. His smile. “Your mother?”
“Yes.”
“She’s lovely.”
“She still is some thirty years later. Hopefully, she’ll have clothing that you and your maid can wear.” His gaze dropped to her slender waist. “It may be a little large, but at least it will be dry.”
“I shall be most grateful.” The chattering of her teeth had finally abated.
He brought her to a sumptuous bedchamber of white, turquoise, and much gilt. The turquoise draperies were all open, and the room was flooded with sunlight. Best of all, a fire roared in the grate.
“This is my mother’s bedchamber, but she’s not at Ripley at present.” He set her down on the silken bed. “I’ll have dry clothes sent right around.”
Eliza, whose clothing was not only more modest than her mistress’s but also less complicated, was capable of removing her own.
After the door shut behind him, Mama rushed to Annie and began to assist in removing the sodden clothing, continuing to rant about the potato boat. To Fanny, she said, “Under no circumstances are you ever to tell anyone about Annie’s humiliation. She paused to dramatically cover her eyes. “I am mortified the Duke of Axminster had to witness your embarrassing entrance. Why could you not have stayed home? It’s not as if you are romantically interested in the duke.”
“But there you’re wrong,” Annie whispered. “I wanted to come here more than anything.”
Annie moved to stand in front of the blazing fire, still shivering. “Why, Mama, did you not tell me about the picnic? It was wrong to exclude me.”
“Oh, my dearest, that was never my intention. I gave the invitation to Fanny, and it never occurred to me she would not share it with you.” Lady Tolworth draped Annie’s pretty muslin dress over a chair in front of the fire. Unfortunately the back of it was dirty—from the potatoes. Why didn’t I stay home?
Lady Tolworth addressed her other daughter. “I shall be most vexed with you, Fanny, for lying to me. Have I not always told you how wicked it is to lie?”
Fanny looked contrite. “I didn’t actually lie. It’s true I never showed Annie the invitation. Then today I merely told you that Annie had chosen to go to the lending library and the book shop.”
Annie’s mouth dropped open. “Which was most certainly a lie!”
“Not actually.”
“You are a devious cheat.”
The sisters glared at one another.
“I’m sorry,” Fanny said solemnly. “It was wrong of me. I wanted the duke to myself.”
“Dearest?” Lady Tolworth stared at Annie. “Why do you have a duck foot on your face?”
Annie raced to the looking glass. Had she looked like that in front of the Duke of Axminster? I must be cursed.
There was a knock at the door. Lady Tolworth opened the door a sliver, then relieved a maid of the dresses piled high in her arms.
Annie chose a lovely ivory muslin trimmed in thick white lace. Unfortunately it was two inches too short for her, and the waist several inches too wide. After she dressed and stepped in front of the looking glass, her heart fell. She looked like a parlor maid dressing up in her mistress’s clothing. She felt like weeping. “I should never have come.”
“I do wish you hadn’t—not just because of the humiliation from the potato boat.” Lady Tolworth sighed and blinked back tears. “I thought you’d drowned. I’ve never had such a fright.”
By now Eliza had put on a frothy green dress and came to Annie. “Don’t fret about yer hair. I’ll have it pretty as a portrait.” She came and began to remove all the pins. “Let it down then turn upside down as close to the fire as you can stand. It will dry quickly that way.”
The duke sent around a note. It was addressed to Lady Tolworth, who read it aloud.
My Dear Lady Tolworth,
Under the present circumstances, I think it advisable that you and your daughters stay the night at Ripley. I shouldn’t like to expose Lady Annia to a further chill after her ordeal. She was submerged for quite some time in that frigid water. Since your daughter’s size in no way corresponds to that of my mother—who is at present at our country seat—I have taken the liberty of sending round to Tolworth House for fresh dresses for the ladies in your family. I also took the liberty of charging your own personal maid with the task of gathering clothing for your twins. I pray my plans are agreeable to you.
Also, tonight’s dinner gathering will be comprised of those who were here this afternoon. All of the gentlemen have agreed to stay.
—Axminster
Now that Annie was dry and relatively thawed, she allowed herself to reflect on the duke’s words. I’m glad you’ve come. How touched she’d been. And to think, he’d dived into the filthy water to save her! So gallant a man would likely have dived into the water to save anyone in distress, nevertheless, she believed that just as he was her special someone, she was special to him too.
But could he merely be thinking fondly of her as he would a close friend? Could he possibly ever desire her in a certain way?
It was up to her to see that he did. But how?
Chapter Four
After Alex shed his own wet clothing and redressed, he came to stand in front of the fire in his dressing room. He couldn’t purge from his mind the vision of Lady Annia flailing about in that water, begging for someone to help her. For a few seconds, he had feared she would drown. He’d been seized with fear before he dove into the water.
It was impossible to explain the myriad emotions that overcame him when he knew she was unhurt. He was so thankful he’d been outdoors and heard her cries. The gray-haired man would never have been able to reach her—not when he had his hands full with her maid. It sickened Alex to think of Lady Annia dead.
In a short time she had become very special to him—not that he intended to offer marriage. He had no desire to be married. Besides, theirs was not that sort of relationship.
His thoughts then moved to her manner of conveyance. What the devil was the daughter of an earl doing on a potato boat? The only explanation was that she was determined to get to Ripley. He was relieved. She must enjoy his company as much as he enjoyed hers.
Then it struck him why Lady Annia had not come with her mother and sister. The sister was blatant about her desire to snare him. Had she purposely left without her twin? Perhaps not told her the correct time?
He vowed that at dinner he would see to it that Lady Fannia understood he had no interest in her. All his interest—which was not romantic—was in Lady Annia.
Annie also was not the type of woman one wanted to seduce. The thought of another man attempting seduction on her angered him. He knew now he shouldn’t have invited Viscount Crest to Ripley. The man was far too interested in her. Alex had watched him as he watched Lady Annia. Alex’s hands fisted.
It was still several hours before dinner. He had pushed back the dining time in order to ensure the ladies’ dresses arrived. He’d also sent another note to ask that Lord Tolworth join them. He drew a deep breath. He
would go to the billiards room and attempt to play the role of congenial host. Except to Lord Crest, he thought, frowning.
* * *
One could learn much about flirting by watching her twin, but Annie could never act as she did. For one thing, none of Fanny’s flirting had succeeded in garnering the duke’s favor. During the long afternoon, Annie had thought about what she could do to capture the duke’s affections. The battle was half won since she knew he favored her. But how could she win his heart? He’d guarded it for many years. She’d looked him up in Burke’s Peerage and learned that he was thirty. Time to settle down.
She had no doubts they were made for one another. How compatible they would be! How gratifying it would be to spend every day with the person who was one’s best friend. If only he weren’t a lofty duke.
A pity there was no rival to make him jealous. She believed a rival could make him see her as something other than a friend.
The first step to attracting was to insure she could to look her best. After her hair dried, Eliza arranged it smartly. They found a powder room and powdered it lightly. She hoped the duke didn’t see her racing through the corridor in his mother’s ill-fitting dress. She moved quickly in the hopes of avoiding him. She had embarrassed herself enough for one day.
It was long after their normal dinner hour when the footman returned with evening dresses for the Childe ladies. She had feared that without Eliza there to guide her, Mama’s maid would not choose well, but Annie was pleased with the scarlet velvet.
It should remind his grace that she was a woman.
* * *
Alex had dressed for dinner early and come down in case any of his guests were also early. He’d explained to the other three gentlemen that since they were in the country and since a near-catastrophic incident had occurred that day, their inability to dress in dinner clothing would be excused.
He came to the marble entry hall just as his footmen swept in with armloads of fine dresses, and right behind them, Lord Tolworth came.
Ever My Love: The Lore of the Lucius Ring (The Legend of the Theodosia Sword Book 2) Page 30
