How to Impress a Gentleman

by Allie Borne

  If he admired her person, rather than her money, he was much more likely to remain kind and considerate towards her, after he gained control of her dowry. Yet, she would avoid any man that she was predisposed to feel too strongly about. After all, Charles and Aiden had proven painful lessons in love and affection, had they not? It was much safer to marry a man that she felt would make a reliable and steadfast partner, one who hadn’t the magnetic presence necessary to evoke scandalous gossip, or captivate her soul.

  So, why was it, as she settled down at her desk to write her daily journal, that her thoughts continued to settle on the turncoat Charles, making her breasts tingle and her soft spots pulse?

  ~ ~ ~

  Back at his grandparents’ estate, Charles slept fitfully in the tiny guest bed. Could the conversation he had overheard between Lindsay and her maid be true? Had Aiden really betrayed his trust to court Charlotte right under his nose?

  Well, he should’t be surprised. Scarred and grave, he had hardly been the image of a doting and attentive bride groom. He had avoided more events than he had attended with Charlotte, and, even then, barely offered her meager slivers of attention. No wonder she had turned to the overly zealous affections of his ne’er-do-well friend.

  Pride being what it was, Charles would not marry Charlotte now, even if she would have him. A possibility he highly doubted. So, who was he to marry? He needed a young and wealthy bride. A ready dowry was needed to fix up his decrepit estate and a gently raised lady needed to maintain it. Besides, lack of laborers meant many a field lay fallow. If he couldn’t raise the funds to buy grain soon, the cotters would face starvation come winter.

  Aiden’s words from earlier that afternoon echoed in his head, “Charles, I doubt Lindsay had anything to do with her father’s betrayal. Besides, what other choice have I, really? There are few eligible young ladies in these parts. Charlotte and Lindsay are the only two with sizable enough dowries.”

  If what Lindsay told Whitney was true, then she believed he had been the one to betray her. She was under the assumption that her father had bought him a position in the navy, and for that he had given up her mother’s well being. She knew nothing of his being impressed against his will. The epiphany set his mind free, relieving him of his caustic anger towards her. A flood of affection for his age old companion left him feeling giddy with joy. Lindsay had always been his to look after and protect, and she still was.

  Now that he knew she had never betrayed him, a self-righteous sense of outrage for Sir Richard’s actions surged, goading him to take immediate action. How could Sir Richard have sentenced him to four years of hard labor and his wife to long suffering death within a sanatorium? How could he have lied to Linnie, leaving her to feel abandoned in the worst way? His actions were narcissistic at best and sadistic at worst.

  The best way to save his heritage and protect his friend was to marry Lindsay. The idea was easy to accept in that Lindsay had always been a part of his family, but, could he really pursue Lindsay, as a lover? She had turned into a curvy and seductive treat for the eyes but Charles was conflicted. Lindsay had always seemed more like a younger sister to him than an attractive woman.

  It mattered not. Sir Richard owed him recompense and he would get it, in the form of a hefty dowry and the return of his dearest friend. Getting Lindsay away from her diabolical father would assuage some of the guilt Charles was feeling at realizing he failed to save Linnie’s mother. He could marry Lindsay to offer her his protection and then seek his pleasure elsewhere.

  Most ton marriages ended up this way and few could claim they had married someone they respected and admired. Charles would get satisfaction from Sir Richard without having to sacrifice his own honor. Lindsay was sure to agree, when she discovered what had really happened to him, by her father’s hands.

  He would speak with Charlotte and Aiden first, to insure himself of their intentions. Then, he would deal with Sir Richard. And what if Lindsay does not wish the match? his conscious niggled. She could be brought around. He always could persuade Linnie to see his side of things, Charles smiled, looking forward to the various ways that he might go about “convincing” Linnie.

  ~ ~ ~

  Lindsay was up and out of her room by seven. Last night she had tossed and turned, uncertain of how to face Aiden, Charlotte, and Charles. Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, inspiration struck. Why did she need to do anything at all? This was her party and she was going to make the most of it. Forget Aiden’s womanizing, Charlotte’s gossiping, and Charles' betrayal.

  There were plenty of mild-mannered young men and women at this party with whom she could better spend her time. Doctor Evers was right, why should I allow others to determine my fate when I have my own free will to do with as I please!

  Unbeknownst to her, the sense of power with which this new awareness had gifted Lindsay, bestowed a fresh bloom to her cheeks and a becoming sparkle to her eyes. She added a calm assurance to her fresh complexion by going for a relaxing meander in the garden.

  Upon entering the breakfast room, her breath caught to see Aiden and Charles helping themselves to the continental buffet. Already her resolve was being tested. Looking askance at her old companion, Lindsay was yet again startled by just how imposing a figure Charles had become. His well-muscled shoulders and chest ran cleanly into a trim waist and sculpted legs. The thick muscle of his youth had streamlined and hardened, rendering Charles a man who seemed to be carved of steel and stone.

  His once rounded cheeks were chiseled, and, as the light from the picture window struck his left side, she noticed a thin scar running along his neck. Absurdly, the knowledge of the danger and pain he had likely suffered, resulting in that military scar, sent an overwhelming deluge of concern, compassion, and...lust? A bubbling, simmering heat emanated from him and she felt inexplicably drawn into the dangerously magnetic pull of Charles’ intensity.

  Was it possible that the four years they spent apart had rendered some irrevocable changes in Charles. Mayhap he had left a vacillating and callow youth, only to have the navy turn him into the gallant and heroic gentlemen she always thought he would become. Clearly, there was more to his story than she once imagined. Perhaps she should investigate further. No! She chided herself silently. Stick to the plan. Charles was a danger to her sense of integrity...to her very sanity. Ignore! Ignore! Ignore!

  Taking a plate herself, she perused the spread. Settling on apples, eggs, and toast, she sat alone to eat her feast. The wicked grin upon her face matched the wicked thoughts of Charles, who planned to put his lips across much more than just her knuckles.

  Although she sat several chairs down, Charles’ attention was continually drawn to her mysterious smile. The third time he turned his head to glance at the solitary Lindsay, Aiden growled, “Why don’t you just go and sit by her, if my company is so dull.”

  “I am not interested in sitting by Lindsay! It’s just, she looks like the cat that’s just eaten the canary and is now eyeing her master’s cream. It is making me nervous.”

  “Why? You are not her master.”

  No, but I intend to be, he thought, despite himself. Shaking off his reverie, he explained to Aiden, “When Lindsay sets her mind to something, trouble follows. Once, when she was eight, she decided that she would prove her right to participate in the boys’ affairs by beating us in a horse race. We laughed it off, but come dawn the next day, she was in the line up, dressed as a stable boy, as if we wouldn’t recognize her! She had to be dragged off her horse, kicking and screaming. In the end, her nanny had to march her back into the house by her hair.”

  “As she trudged away, I couldn’t help but call out, ‘You thought to beat us at men’s sports by riding a horse, but look who is under reigns now!’

  “She wouldn’t speak with me for six months after, due to my clever tongue. I did feel a bit guilty, but it was the quietest six months I’ve spent in this part of the country, I must say! You see, she’d had an awful tendre for me before that time
, following me around like a puppy dog. Being a fourteen year old boy, I was more than a bit irritated by her. After that, she wouldn’t give me the time of day, even if I wanted her to.”

  “It sounds to me like you’re the one whose heart holds affection.”

  “Please! We were once chums but now I feel only concern and pity for her. And what do you care? From what I hear, you seem to be holding a candle for our Miss Reynolds.”

  “What have you heard?”

  “So you do not deny that you have been seeing her behind my back?”

  “I will not deny that Charlotte and I hold a certain...affinity with one another.”

  “And would that ‘affinity’ include coupling in the linen closet?”

  “You needn’t be so coarse, Charles. It’s just that I can’t help myself when she is around. I had no intention of denying you her dowry, but the woman is an addiction I cannot seem to break. Will you forgive me, Charles?”

  Charles sighed. Setting his linen napkin upon his plate, he pushed back from his seat, appetite gone. “The truth is that my heart and mind have never been engaged to Charlotte Reynolds. You and I will speak with her father when they arrive this morning. But, Aiden, you have been philandering with my intended. If you ever betray my trust in that manner again, I shall take a sword to your throat and not think twice about it.”

  Grinning with relief and budding anticipation, Aiden held out his hand and shook Charles’. “Agreed. And yet, you, like me, need financing. You just inherited the estate of your great uncle, and with no funds for its repair and upkeep. A dowry such as Lindsay’s could get you started. Don’t tell me you haven’t considered it.”

  Charles shrugged, uninterested in sharing his plans with AIden. Peering at Lindsay through lowered lashes, he felt goaded to assert his manhood. “Perhaps, like you, I’ll marry and leave my wife in the country while I pursue my own pleasures.”

  “Don’t even think of it, Charles. You are angry with Sir Richard, and I understand why, but if you act against your conscious, you’ll regret it. I, on the other hand, have no conscious. Speaking of... I hear a carriage arriving. I must go and seek my Mistress of Mayhem.” On that note, Aiden stood and strode from the room, a Roman god on a mission.

  Lindsay quickly stared at her toast, fearful of being caught staring at the duo. They had been engaged in an engrossing conversation and although she could not hear their words, her interest was peaked. Ignore! Ignore! Ignore! she repeated the mantra in her head again to steal her reserve. It was not working.

  I wish Charles had not grown so much more forceful and dangerously attractive. The very air around him crackles. He has been to foreign places and done daring things. I do so long to hear his stories. Lindsay groaned, biting her lower lip in consternation at the weak nature of her thoughts. She was so troubled by her secret yearning that she did not notice his approach. Lindsay physically jumped in her seat when his voice rumbled behind her.

  “I love the crease you get in between your eyebrows when your schemes are being jeopardized.” Before she could hide her thoughts, Lindsay gasped and turned in astonishment. “I thought as much,” he grinned cheekily, proud of his deduction.

  Recovering, Lindsay retorted, “Whatever are you talking about, Charles? Why do you insist on assuming you can read my mind? It’s not as if we see one another regularly enough for that.” She hated to show her, but he was being tedious.

  “It’s not as if anyone couldn’t, Linnie. Honestly, your face is like an open book. Never become a Whist addict, my dear. It would prove your ruin.” His words seemed light and flirtatious, but his tone warned of a deeper, darker emotion.

  Lindsay looked up into his face, concerned, and wanting, despite herself, to make amends for whatever rift the years of absence seemed to have placed on their friendship. “Fine, Charlie, I do not wish to quarrel today. There will be time enough for that, I am sure, after Charlotte arrives.”

  “She arrived just a few moments past. Didn’t you hear the hoopla over your toast chewing?” Flushed, Lindsay turned her back on her companion, and gathered her skirts to stand. “I’m sorry, Linnie,” Charles laughed, “I am only kidding. Please walk with me and let me make amends for my foul behavior.”

  Lindsay paused in her departure, a thought occurring. “You know, Charles, there are some acts for which one can never make amends.”

  “Can a man not be forgiven his weaknesses, Linnie?”

  “Forgiveness is for God and saints, Charles. Tell it to Saint Peter,” Lindsay snapped, lifting her skirts and sliding from the room, ignoring the sudden weakness in her knees.

  ~ ~ ~

  Half an hour later, Charles and Aiden walked from Sir Stuart’s study much beleaguered, but well pleased. Reynolds had agreed to switch the marriage contract over to Aiden, seeing as how his daughter had practically initiated the consummation of said marriage already. If anyone were to ask, they were to let it be known that this was the plan all along and that gossip mongers had misinterpreted the beau to which Miss Charlotte had been attached.

  Had Charles truly felt affection for the chit, he would not have been so accommodating. If he were to be fully honest with himself, Aiden and Charlotte had provided him with the perfect opportunity to pursue what he had truly wanted all along. Now it was time to find Sir Reynolds and have an honest-to-God confrontation and, this time, there would be no liquor involved.

  ~ ~ ~

  Trussed up in a delectable blue riding suit, which showed her trim waist and plump bosoms to perfection, Lindsay’s small frame hummed with anticipation. “I’m riding Doc today, Harry,” she told the old groom as she entered the stable with her sister.

  “Linnie! You’ll look ridiculous,” countered Leah, appalled. “Why, Doc’s a full sixteen hands and broad to boot, do not ride him in front of this group, please! You’ll look like a tiny monkey atop an organ grinder’s box.”

  “It’s Doc or none at all, Leah. You know how I can’t abide tiny horses. They are sneaky and antsy. Besides, I feel as if my bulk will break their little backs!”

  “Well, at least take the side saddle, Miss. Let’s not completely offend the lot o’ em with your headstrong antics, I’ll be finding myself other employment to be sure.”

  “Oh, very well, Harold, do what you must, but I’ll be back at dusk. Then, you’ll have to accompany me on a true and glorious run. Promise me!”

  “Aye, little Linnie, I promise. But not without my qualms, I still have ‘em, mind ye.”

  Leah simply shook her head as she mounted her petite pony. Leah’s unconventional yellow riding habit gave her maid fits, but as Betty herself had claimed, keeping it spot free was worth it. Leah was breathtaking. At sixteen, she was every bit a handsome and elegant young lady. Her hair, lighter and thicker than Lindsay’s, swooped up in a practical twist beneath her tiny satin bonnet. There was still plenty of hair to run in ringlets around her face. The yellow had her shining like the star that she was. If only Lindsay could dispel the cloud that hung over the female reputation in this family, Leah would make a brilliant match.

  Charlotte soon approached in her hunter green attire. She glided like a queen inspecting her troops, observing the riders on horse back as she bent an ear elegantly to listen to Aiden’s wry comments.

  “Why what a grand horse you ride, Lindsay, plan you to plow the fields a bit after our ride today?” Charlotte batted her silver lashes innocently at Lindsay. She was striking with her yellow and tawny streaked curls and swanlike neck. Looking down at Charlotte and Aiden from her perch on Doc’s back, however, Lindsay felt nothing of the old jealousy or resentment.

  “No, Charlotte, I simply must ride Doc as he is the only horse I’ll trust. It is my belief that horses, like men, are best kept when big, strong, and dim. It is in this way that they follow one’s whims.”

  “I see,” said Charlotte, surprised but pleased at her hostess’s change in approach. “Then, let us see what you think of my steed. He is a gelding after all!”

  Lind
say flushed and giggled in delight and continued on to greet the other guests accompanying the ride. The dark look on Aiden’s face had been enough to make Lindsay’s day. Those two had made a good match of it, after all. She would tell Charlotte so at the earliest convenience. If they were to be neighbors, this feud must end. With whom would her children play in summer, if not with Charlotte’s?

  Newly resolved, she headed out, behind the game warden and her father. The men, unsurprisingly, had decided to accompany the women half way, then go for a bit of sport hunting while the women strolled the rocky ledges and listened to the poet hired for their entertainment. The men would return to the hill for the picnic lunch.

  Riding up beside Lindsay, Charles looked stoic. “What?” she asked, on guard.

  “I need to speak with you, alone,” Charles dipped his head and murmured, sidling his grey stallion up to Doc.

  “Do not concern yourself. I already know that Aiden and Charlotte are to be wed. News travels quickly at a house party.”

  Swallowing his frustration, at her aloof manner, Charles took a deep breath and pushed forward. “I had hoped to speak with you about another, more personal matter.”

  “What could be more personal than our two prospects throwing us over to marry one another, Charles?!” Lindsay guffawed, entertained by the all-too-serious set to his shoulders she remembered from their childhood.

  “It is about your mother,” Charles offered, goaded into pulling out his most powerful method of persuasion.

  Lindsay stilled upon her mount, causing Doc to snort and throw his head about anxiously. Both riders surveyed one another. Charles looked, really looked at Lindsay for the first time since his arrival. Her hair, a shiny, dark chocolate, framed her face, as the wind blew its wispy curls across a smooth cheek. Her cheeks were rosy and the light in her blue eyes flickered with the rise and fall of her chest. Four years worth of needy, cloying longing rose up, threatening to crumble his carefully constructed mask.