A Scandalous Deception

by Ava Stone

  A shadow fell over the two of them, and Lissy tipped her head up to find Fin standing before them, blocking out the sun and sporting an annoyed expression on his handsome face. “What’s this about Edmund?”

  For the briefest of moments she was happy to see him, and then the memory of his behavior at the Astwicks’ came rushing back to her mind. “Uncle Fin.” Lissy’s smile faded and she folded her arms across her middle. “What are you doing here?”

  “Looking for you,” he returned calmly. “And I’m not your uncle.”

  Blast him. He was always calm. He could criticize her, get her all wound up, and then just stand there, composed as could be, looking like the most well-behaved gentleman in existence. He was simply maddening. “You’re looking for me?” She feigned a demure smile. “Come to apologize, have you?”

  Fin’s dark eyes narrowed on her. If he were a cruel sort of man, she’d have been intimidated by that scowl. But he wasn’t cruel. He was Fin.

  “Well, let’s have it, then. My apology.”

  Fin’s brow rose, as though he was surprised at her audacity. “Don’t even think to distract me, Felicity. What are you offering up Edmund for?”

  The problem with offering up her brother for Bella’s ruse, she realized in that moment, was they’d have to go through Edmund’s guardian – Fin, for any betrothal, fake or otherwise. And that was something she was certain Fin would never agree to. “Nothing that concerns you.”

  “On the contrary, anything that concerns Edmund concerns me.”

  Bella fidgeted on the bench beside Lissy, wringing her hands in her lap. “Honestly, it’s nothing, Lord Carraway. We’re just being silly.”

  “Silly, I believe.” Fin’s gaze never wavered from Lissy, which made her the slightest bit uncomfortable. All that scrutiny. “I sent you a note this morning.”

  “Did you?”

  “You know I did. You had a footman return it. Unopened.”

  “Highly improper to send a girl who isn’t your niece a note, my lord.” She bit back a smile. “And I know how you regard propriety above all things.” In fact, the oh-so-proper Fin was the perfect candidate to pose as Bella’s fiancé, now that Lissy thought about it. Handsome, wealthy, powerful. Chatham couldn’t possibly find fault with Fin. “Do you—”

  “As your brother’s guardian, I believe I’m granted some leeway in regard to my correspondence with you, my lady.”

  “Oh?” Lissy blinked up at him. “Has something happened with Edmund?”

  Fin’s eyes darted from Lissy to Bella and back again. “Might I have a word with you alone?”

  He wouldn’t leave until she gave it to him, that much was evident from his stance. There was nothing else for it. “Very well.” Lissy heaved a sigh as she pushed off the bench. “I’ll be back in a moment, Bella.”

  Fin offered his arm to Lissy, which she regarded with the warmth one might welcome an approaching asp. Begrudgingly, she took his arm anyway. It was, after all, the proper thing to do.

  “What is it?” she grumbled once they were out of earshot from Bella. “Pray tell, Fin, what reprimand do you have prepared for me today? Let’s get it over with, shall we?”

  Fin closed his hand over Lissy’s fingers on his arm and directed her towards a copse of trees, not far away. Her delicate hand clutching the crook of his arm reminded him at once of the way Georgie had always held on to him, and that memory echoed though his soul, warming him from the inside out. Good God! What the devil was wrong with him? “You make it sound as though I’m forever reprimanding you.”

  “Because you forever are,” she returned, not even bothering to look up at him.

  A slight pain twisted Fin’s heart. He didn’t enjoy chastising her, but… Well, someone needed to rein her in, to keep her from destroying her own future. She’d received very little direction from her late father, and though Georgie had tried her best with Felicity, the flaxen haired imp had always possessed a stubborn streak and a mind of her own. A mind that he didn’t understand the workings of in the least, and one he wasn’t certain she used or heeded all the time. Lissy raced headfirst into one thing after another with very little, if any, thought to her actions. An impromptu trip across the Atlantic to visit her late mother’s family, a hasty marriage to a man her sisters had never met nor approved of, and now cavorting with blackguards like Haversham. “I just want what’s best for you,” he said softly as he drew her to a stop and spun her to face him.

  Lissy scoffed, but she did at least raise her cerulean gaze to meet his. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Phineas Granard.”

  That he wasn’t so certain of. She might be a widow who’d seen more of the world than others of her age, but Lissy was still young and still rather flighty. “Perhaps,” he agreed, just to appease her. “But all the same, it’s not a good idea for you to be in London all alone.”

  “I’m not alone. I—”

  “No, you’re not.” He squeezed her fingers. “You have me to look out for you.”

  “I don’t need you to look out for me.”

  The one thing all three St. Claire women possessed was an unfortunate stubbornness they could have only inherited from their father. “Lissy,” he pleaded, hoping she could see reason. “Be sensible. If Beckford and Juliet were in Town, I’m certain he’d see to your escort. Had things turned out differently, I’d be your brother, the same as he is. Besides, you’re Edmund’s sister. I just want to make certain you’re safe.”

  Her pretty eyes softened, but just for a moment. “I am perfectly safe, Fin. I know you think I’m a ninny, but there’s more to me than what you give me credit for.”

  “I don’t think you’re a ninny.” Well, not all the time, though only a fool would say such words aloud. Fin shook his head, hoping to stress upon her the dangerous position she’d put herself in. “Did you even notice the way Haversham looked at you last night?”

  Her brow furrowed. “Haversham again? Fin—”

  “He looked at you as though you were a sweetmeat ready to be gobbled up.”

  “Is that supposed to be some sort of compliment? I hardly think I resemble a sweetmeat.”

  “Lissy!” Dear God, she could exasperate a saint. “While you’re in Town alone, I’ll be your escort. Period. Wherever you want to go, I don’t care, and I won’t hear any arguments to the contrary. Do you hear me?”

  A mischievous smile settled on her lips. “That is so kind of you, Lord Carraway…”

  There was a ‘but’ coming, he could feel it. She rarely called him Lord Carraway, and when she did there was always an impish tone to her voice.

  “…But your services aren’t needed.”

  “Felicity—”

  “However, if you’re so very anxious to play Sir Galahad,” she continued without stopping to take a breath, “Lady Arabella is in definite need of a chivalrous gentleman.”

  “Lady Arabella?” He blinked at Lissy. The brunette chit she’d just been sitting with? His gaze flicked toward the lady in question. What the devil was Lissy up to now? They hadn’t even been remotely discussing Lady Arabella.

  “She’s a delightful girl. Truly. You wouldn’t really have to marry her, but if you could just ask her father for her hand, she’d greatly appreciate it.”

  If he could just ask her father for her hand? Fin’s mouth fell open, and he redirected his attention back to Lissy. There was no way he’d heard her correctly. Even for her, that last statement was an outrageous thing to say. “I beg your pardon?”

  “She’ll cry off in the end,” Lissy hastened to explain. “You’d only have to be betrothed until her Prussian cousin returns to the Continent.”

  Fin’s head started to spin. He wasn’t certain how to even reply to such a ridiculous suggestion. On occasion, Lissy made sense. This was not one of those occasions. “What in the world are you talking about?”

  She gulped. “Bella doesn’t want to marry her Prussian cousin, some hellish count, but her grandfather will force her to if sh
e isn’t already betrothed. You could pose as her fiancé. Not even the Duke of Chatham could find objection with you.”

  He wasn’t sure if he should be flattered by that or outraged. His stomach, however, did plummet to his toes. “Did you tell that girl I’d ask for her hand?”

  Lissy shook her head. “I hadn’t thought of you yet. I thought Edmund—”

  “Edmund!” he couldn’t help but roar. “You thought to mix up your little brother in this madness?”

  Her lip thrust out in a little pout that might have been endearing had he not been so thoroughly vexed. “It’s not madness. It’s inspired genius. I’d think you would know the difference.”

  What he knew was that Felicity Pierce could drive the sanest man mad. “You will not involve Edmund in any such scheme. And I will certainly not participate myself.” Truly, Lady Arabella’s plight was not Fin’s concern in the least. He had his hands more than full trying to keep Lissy from ruining herself. He most definitely didn’t need a fiancée, pretend or otherwise, demanding his time.

  “Very well.” Lissy tipped her nose in the air as she took a step away from him. “Then I’ll just have to ask Lord Haversham to help.”

  Haversham! Fin reached for Lissy’s arm to pull her back to him, but she backed away too quickly. He fell forward, and before he could right himself, he dropped to his hands and knees in front of half the park. A few gasps were heard, but Lissy’s wasn’t among them. She turned on her heel and stomped back towards her friend.

  “Heavens, Lissy!” Bella touched a hand to her heart, her grey eyes wide. “Did you see Lord Carraway?”

  Nearly fall on his face? Yes, Lissy had seen that spectacle out of the corner of her eye, but she wasn’t about to give Fin the satisfaction of showing him any sort of a reaction. “Come along, Bella,” she said reaching her hands out to her friend, still on the bench. “I think I know someone who will help us.”

  “You do?” Bella rose to her feet. “Who?”

  “Cordie Clayworth,” Lissy returned, threading her arm through Bella’s. “She and her husband are fairly close to the Marquess of Haversham. And if there’s a fellow who has no need for a wife, it’s Haversham.”

  Bella looked aghast at the suggestion. “Haversham?”

  Lissy shrugged. “I’d wager he could be convinced to help one way or another.”

  Bella shook her head as they started back towards their maids. “Even if he could be convinced, I doubt Papa would accept an offer from him.”

  Her friend probably had a point, but it was no matter. “Cordie has a calm head. She’ll help us come up with something.”

  “I don’t know,” Bella hedged. “I don’t really know Lady Clayworth very well.”

  Lissy grinned from ear to ear. “Well, luckily, I do. She’s one of my dearest friends and she possesses a most devious mind.”

  “And you think she’ll help me?”

  Of that, Lissy was more than certain.

  Fin heaved a sigh and dusted his hands on his knees as he watched Felicity and her friend make a direct path for the Park Lane entrance. How in the world was he supposed to make her see reason? He might as well have taken on the twelve labors of Hercules. After all, facing down a hydra had to be an easier task.

  If she wasn’t Georgie’s sister, he’d wash his hands of her. If she wasn’t Edmund’s sister, he’d never give her another thought. If she… No, Fin shook his head. He couldn’t lie to himself. Since the previous night, he’d been consumed by thoughts of Lissy, not because she was Georgie’s sister, and not because she was Edmund’s sister. Honestly, he wasn’t certain why he couldn’t shake her from his mind. Perhaps it was the panicked expression that had flashed across her face when he mentioned her late husband, an expression that reminded him of the one Georgie wore whenever her late husband was discussed. Perhaps it was because he’d always felt comfortable in Lissy’s presence until now, which was odd, as he’d known her nearly all of her life. Perhaps it was just seeing her stare up at Haversham, depraved rake that he was. The last thing Lissy needed was to get entangled with Haversham.

  “So nice to see you out of doors, my lord,” came a melodic voice to his side. Fin pulled his attention from Lissy’s departing form and smiled at Caroline, Viscountess Staveley, standing just a few feet away, her two daughters at her side. “I hope you had a delightful time at the Astwicks’ last night.”

  And it was a good thing Caroline had talked Fin into attending that particular ball or he’d have never realized the danger Lissy was in. “My lady, it’s always so nice to see you anywhere. Out of doors or otherwise.”

  Caroline nodded her head at the compliment. “You don’t need to flatter me, Phineas. We might as well be family.”

  And they were family, in the most extended of ways. Caroline’s brother, Lucas Beckford, was married to Edmund’s sister, Juliet. But before that, before Luke’s eyes had ever even fallen on Juliet, Caroline had been Georgie’s oldest and dearest friend. “It’s family I’m concerned about.” He gestured toward the path Lissy had taken. “I don’t know what to do with Felicity.”

  Caroline graced him with an ever-knowing grin. “You sound just like Georgie. If I had a farthing for every time she’d uttered those same words to me.”

  “She seems dead-set on landing herself in trouble.”

  Caroline agreed with a nod. “She was always the most adventurous of her sisters.”

  And she was. Georgie had been the steady, calm one, the one anyone went to if they needed an ear and solid advice. Juliet was the cynical one, the one who could size up a man within seconds of meeting him and put him perfectly in his place. And Felicity was the flighty one, the one who paid very little attention to anything around her, always consumed with her own ideas and very little else.

  “But I’m sure she’ll be fine, Fin,” Caroline said, touching a hand to his arm. “She always is.”

  Fin snorted. “Because someone is usually around to yank her out of danger, but she’s refusing to pay my council any heed these days.”

  “She’s getting older,” Caroline agreed. “It’s natural she should come into her own, don’t you think?”

  Hardly. Fin shook his head. “You tell me, Caroline. Do you think she should involve the Marquess of Haversham in some featherbrained scheme of hers?”

  All the color in Caroline’s face faded away and a hand fluttered to her heart. “Haversham?”

  “Exactly.” Her reaction mirrored Fin’s own thoughts on the matter.

  “Mama?” Caroline’s youngest daughter asked, tugging on the lady’s skirts. “Who is Haversham?”

  “A not very honorable fellow, Emma,” Caroline replied, though her eyes stayed level on Fin.

  “Indeed.” Fin nodded. “I don’t think letting Lissy come into her own is the best course at the moment.”

  “If he is involved,” Caroline dropped her voice so low no one else in the vicinity could overhear her, “we can most certainly agree on that, Fin.” Concern etched across her brow. “You should do whatever you can to direct her otherwise.”

  Which were Fin’s thoughts exactly, though he had no idea how to accomplish such a feat. “Now if only divine inspiration would strike me.”

  Caroline heaved a sigh. “Let me think on it, and perhaps I’ll come up with something.”

  Something was more than Fin had when he’d started out the day. Whenever Caroline Staveley set her mind on something, she always found a path that lead to success. “I’m certain Georgie would appreciate any help you can offer.”

  A sad smile lit Caroline’s lips. “And I’m certain Georgie would be glad to know you’re still keeping an eye on Lissy.”

  Which hadn’t done him a bit of good. He might be better off keeping an eye on Haversham.

  Lissy beamed at the Clayworths’ stoic butler as he opened the door. “Good afternoon, Higgins,” she said brightly, pulling Bella along with her into the foyer. “Please inform Lady Clayworth that I’d like an audience.”

  “What if s
he’s not here?” Bella whispered.

  Lissy waited until Higgins shut the front door and started down the corridor to do her bidding before she turned her attention back to her friend. “She’s always in. Ever since she became a mother, Cordie spends nearly every waking hour doting on her son.” But mostly the countess had done so since her recent miscarriage, not that Lissy wanted to voice that last bit aloud.

  “If she’s always in, she might not be able to help,” Bella said, her voice laced with panic. “Don’t we need someone well connected? Someone—“

  Lissy slid her arm around the other girl’s shoulders to ease her fears. “Trust me, Bella. Cordie is better connected than either of us, and she’ll know exactly what to do.”

  A moment later, Higgins returned to the foyer and gestured to a room right down the corridor. “Her ladyship is expecting you in the green parlor, Lady Felicity.”

  “Thank you, Higgins. You are a dear. “ Lissy breezed past the butler, towing Bella along side her. As soon as they stepped over the threshold, Cordelia, the Countess of Clayworth rose from her spot on a brocade settee, tossed her dark tresses over one shoulder, and rushed to greet them.

  “Lissy!” Cordie kissed her cheek. “What a surprise. What are you doing here?”

  At once guilt washed over Lissy. She should have visited more often. Cordie was a dear friend, one of her dearest in the world. But ever since she’d lost her baby… Lissy pushed the thought from her mind before it had time to settle. “I’m so glad to find you in, Cordie.” She gestured to Bella with a tilt of her head. “She needs your help.”

  “My help?” Cordie’s green eyes flashed with surprise as she glanced from Lissy to Bella. “Lady Arabella, isn’t it?”

  Heat rushed to Lissy’s face. “I am sorry.” Where were her manners? Probably lying somewhere along Rotten Row, thanks to Phineas Granard. Blast him for flustering her. Starched stickler. “Bella Winslett, Cordie Clayworth.”