by Meara Platt
Music and laughter filled the air, as did the heavenly aroma of nutmeg, cinnamon, and plum juices that wafted in from the dining room.
Tynan grinned. “Impressed?”
“Very.” She tried her best not to look like a poor country cousin visiting London for the very first time, but could not help gaping at the splendor and gaiety. She glanced down at her attire, hoping the simple gown of ecru silk trimmed with ecru lace was not too badly out of fashion. It was two years old and had never been worn until now for lack of an occasion. There were no pearl beads or satin ribbons and bows to adorn the delicate fabric. Her only jewelry was a pair of teardrop pearl earrings that would hardly be noticed for the wisps of curls that framed her face.
Tynan must have realized what she was thinking. “Fretting about your appearance?”
She nodded.
“Don’t. You’re the prettiest girl here.”
She laughed. “We haven’t entered the music room yet. You haven’t seen anyone but me so far.”
His expression turned achingly tender. “I don’t need to. I know a diamond when I see one.”
There was something wonderful about the soft, seductive rumble of his voice that made her blush to her roots. No one had ever paid her such a compliment before. Indeed, no one had ever paid attention to her before.
She had no chance to respond to Tynan’s comment before his brothers noticed them and bounded toward them like excited pups. Although one could hardly consider them pups, for they were big and broad shouldered, and brawny as gladiators. Abby’s heart swelled with joy to see how much Tynan’s brothers loved him. But they were brothers, so instead of simply greeting him, they punched his arm. They called him an arse and berated him for being late.
But to Abby’s relief, they behaved like perfect gentlemen toward her, greeting her with a cordial warmth that brought a smile to her face and stuck it on permanently. “Miss Croft, a pleasure to see you again,” Ronan said, his emerald green eyes as dark and brilliant as Tynan’s. This handsome, young man would be a heartbreaker, she had no doubt. “I’m glad my brother had the good sense to bring you. My mother will be delighted, as are we all.”
Joshua called over one of the footmen and lifted a glass of champagne off his tray. “For you, Abigail.”
“What about me?” Tynan griped.
“Get it yourself,” Finn said with a laugh, turning to Abby and holding out his arm. “May I escort you to my mother and then to supper?”
“No, you may not,” Tynan muttered. “Abby is with me. I’ll escort her to Mother. I’ll take her in to supper. You are not to go near her. None of you.”
They blithely ignored him.
Ronan merely shrugged. “Miss Croft, there will be dancing after the opera singer has finished assaulting our eardrums. May I claim a dance?”
“Me too,” his other two brothers said at the same time.
Abby hadn’t thought about that. “I’m so sorry. I would love to, but I can’t. You see, I never learned how to dance.” She tried not let her dismay show, but she was terrible at hiding her feelings, so they all noticed immediately. “But thank you so much for asking me. I… there’s so much I don’t know… perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to–”
“Abby,” Tynan said softly, “you belong with us. You’ll do just fine. These clods can’t dance either. They would have destroyed your feet.”
Ronan nodded. “We’re glad you’re here. Don’t hesitate to turn to us for help. If anyone is rude to you or gives you a difficult time, let us know. We’ll take care of it.”
Finn and Joshua crossed their massive arms over their chests and nodded.
Abby’s insides melted. She liked having these gladiator bodyguards to protect her. She liked having people around her who cared if she were dead or alive. Indeed, she’d felt quite dead inside lately.
“Come along, Abby. Mother’s just spotted us.” Tynan took her arm in his once more. “We’d better go to her before she tramples anyone who has the misfortune to be caught standing between us.”
Tynan’s mother welcomed her like a daughter and, after shooing her son away, began to introduce her to her guests. “This delightful young lady is Miss Abigail Croft. She and the Countess of Exmoor are inseparable companions,” Lady Miranda said, conveniently neglecting to mention that she’d only met Sophie and James twice and hadn’t met a single Brayden until this week. “She is also one of my dearest friends.”
“Westcliff seems quite taken with you,” a friend of Miranda’s, Lady Hester, said quite kindly, her tone gentle and not at all snide. “He’s been seen escorting you about town. And he hasn’t taken his eyes off you ever since Lady Miranda snatched you away from him”
Abby didn’t quite know how to respond. “He’s been helping my brother.”
“Indeed,” Miranda said with a sad shake of her head, “her brother is quite ill and we’ve all been pitching in to help. Lord Coventry, too.”
Lady Hester’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Ah, my dear. I had no idea you were connected to Lord Coventry as well.”
Miranda spoke for her before she had the time to formulate a response. “Coventry is like a father to Abigail and her brother.”
Abby tried not to roll her eyes. This was taking matters a bit too far. “Lord Coventry has generously opened his home in Falmouth to us. You see, we hope the sea air will restore my–”
Lady Hester’s eye lit up. “Does Lady Withnall know?”
Abby regarded her in confusion. “Who is Lady Withnall?”
“Only the biggest gossip in London,” Tynan said, returning to her side at the same time Lady Hester mumbled a hasty excuse to take her leave and sprinted off toward a small crowd of women standing in a corner. “And Lady Hester will now run to her with the juicy information. It’s quite a coup, for Lady Withnall is usually the first to learn of anything. She has the ears of a bat and the eyes of a hawk.”
Abby could not help but grin. “Is she here?”
He nodded. “And she’s been quietly circling around you ever since you walked in on my arm. She’s the little harridan holding court in the corner, the one with the walking cane in hand. Be nice to her or she might club you over the head with it.”
His mother frowned at him, although she did not seem very angry. “Honestly, Westcliff. Is that any way to speak of my guests?”
He cast Lady Miranda an innocent look. “Your opera singer is about to start yowling and I promised to escort Abigail in. We want to claim the best seats, of course.”
He took Abby’s arm in his and led her away before his mother had a chance to comment on his blatant lie. He’d made no secret of his dislike of these musicales. The concert room was already filling with guests eager to hear the dulcet operatic tones, but Abby could feel the tension building within Tynan, and was surprised when he took the seat beside her. “You’re staying?”
He winced. “Yes. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
She shook her head and laughed. “I’m quite safe here. Please don’t feel you must stay by my side all evening.”
He regarded her intently. “You’re the only reason I’m here. And you’re not in the least safe. There are easily a dozen men who intend to approach you the moment my back is turned. You’re the prettiest girl here, as I’ve told you. And I’m not letting any of them come near you.”
“Why not?” She wasn’t seeking compliments from him, but merely asking a question. He’d made it abundantly clear that he was quite content with his state of bachelorhood and had no intention of making any changes.
“The music’s starting,” he grumbled, shooting her a hot, possessive glance.
Was it possible he was thinking of making changes? Should she dare hope that he might consider courting her? It was safest not to make too much of his actions. But she found his attentiveness most confusing. He sat beside her throughout the recital and then escorted her to supper, sitting beside her while she delighted in the carved meats set out at one end and the sweets set out at
the other end of the enormous dining table. “Are you enjoying the evening, Abby?”
She swallowed her bite of lemon cake and nodded. “Very much. It’s been magical.”
His lips curved into a smile. “Good. There’s more fun in store.” He rose and held out his hand to her.
She set down her cake and brushed the crumbs off her fingers before taking his offered hand. But she froze when they stepped into the ballroom and she realized his purpose. The music room had been small and intimate, but the ballroom was large and grand and filled with guests enjoying the steps of a quadrille. “I don’t know how to dance, remember?”
“I remember.” He walked her around the edge of the room until they’d reached the double doors that led onto the balcony. “The waltz is next. We’ll dance out here, where no one will notice you. Just trust me, Abby. Follow my lead and let me guide you. You’ll do fine.”
He was wrong about no one noticing them. Although everyone was busy dancing, they were concentrating their attention on her and Tynan, not on the steps they had easily mastered throughout their years of training to make their way in Society.
She’d had no such training.
But the notion of sharing a waltz with Tynan under the moonlight was too tempting to pass up. The quadrille was just ending by the time they walked onto the balcony. They were the only ones outdoors. She wasn’t certain whether it was mere coincidence or by purposeful design. Had he engaged his brothers to block everyone else’s access out here? She would not have been surprised, for these Braydens were quite loyal to each other, and were definitely plotting to make this evening perfect for her.
Obviously, this was Tynan’s doing. She was glad he was being incredibly nice to her, but it was a bit much. Everyone would think he was besotted with her. She supposed it didn’t matter, for they’d learn the truth soon enough. He meant well, so she resolved to stop questioning his motives and simply enjoy what remained of the evening.
The big, silver moon and brilliant stars were shining in the night sky. If there was a bite to the crisp October air, she didn’t feel it. Indeed, she felt nothing but warmth and excitement as the strains of the melodic waltz filled the air and Tynan drew her into his arms. “Put your hand in mine, Abby.”
His voice was low and husky.
When she hesitated, he simply took it in his. “When I step forward, you’ll take a matching step back. Just follow me when I turn. We’ll take it slow.”
There were a hundred friends and family inside, all of whom were now openly staring at them. However, Abby felt as though she and Tynan were alone in a beautiful dream. She never wanted this moment to end. She loved the heat of his big, rough hand at the small of her back. She loved the sandalwood scent of him. She melted at his soft smile and the wickedly tender gleam in his eyes.
I don’t ever want to wake up from this dream.
She meant to look at her feet, but Tynan’s gaze was entrancing and she could not look away. Oh, this had to be make believe. She could not possibly be dancing under the moonlight with the handsomest bachelor in England. “Abby, your eyes are watering.”
“I know. I’m about to cry, but this time for joy. You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Giving me a magical memory.”
He twirled her as the waltz continued. “Are you angry?”
“No. I’ll treasure this evening. I know how difficult these next few months will be with Peter. I’ll fall into bed each night and dream of you holding me in your arms and this beautiful music filling the air.”
She sighed before continuing. “But I have a request to make of you.”
“Anything, Abby.”
She nodded. “Stop. Please, stop. I know you mean well, but I’m more than halfway in love with you. I don’t have the strength to resist you. So, if you can never love me, then put an end to this beautiful pretense and take me home now.”
He looked pained, for she’d obviously caught him by surprise.
She must have sounded ungrateful. She didn’t mean to, but he roused such alarmingly deep feelings in her. “My heart is happiest when I’m with you, Tynan. You make my every moment with you feel magical. I forget what is real. I hardly know you, and yet it seems like I’ve known you all of my life. Perhaps I’ve been waiting for you all of my life and never realized it. I don’t know how else to express what I’m feeling. Oh, dear. You’re frowning. I’ve ruined your plans, haven’t I? I’ve said too much.”
He was indeed frowning and looked unsettled, perhaps angry.
She sighed. “But you must understand. I’ve never fallen in love before. It quite overwhelms me. In truth, it scares the wits out of me.”
“Abby…” Her name came out in an aching groan.
She sighed. “Now I sound completely unappreciative and it wasn’t my intent at all. Forget I said anything. It’s an enchanted night and you will always be my perfect knight in shining armor. My heart will get over you.”
His silence was like a heavy, unsettling fog that swirled between them.
She cleared her throat. “Will you excuse me?”
He released her, or perhaps she was the one who’d skittered away. He made no move to follow her indoors when she fled from the balcony.
She headed for the ladies’ retiring room, knowing he could not follow her in there. But she did not find the peace she’d sought, for seated on the divan were two women of obvious sophistication and elegance. They cast her a disdainful glance and then promptly ignored her. Or perhaps they knew exactly who she was and were determined to cut her to ribbons. “Will you be seeing Westcliff this evening?” one of the fine ladies asked the other.
At first, Abby thought they were addressing her, but quickly realized the conversation was exclusive to the pair and spoken aloud for her benefit.
“Yes,” said the other one, an elegant beauty with dark hair and striking, pale green eyes. “My husband’s out of town, and Westcliff must first get rid of the little nuisance he’s been stuck escorting around London this week. But he’s pent up and randy. The sex will be hot and intense between us.”
“Isn’t it always with him?” the first one remarked. “He enjoys his bed games.”
Abby couldn’t breathe.
The ladies got up and walked past her as though she did not exist.
She’d almost believed Tynan had taken a fancy to her, but these ladies had made sure to put her in her place. He was merely being polite, treating her as his pet project. He didn’t love her and was likely trying to figure out how to distance himself from her right now. She’d told him that she loved him… almost. She’d held back the littlest bit, but he had to know her feelings for him. She wasn’t merely on her way to falling in love with him. She was there already. Deeply and unabashedly in love with this man who was more perfect than anyone she could ever have conjured up in a dream.
No wonder he’d kept silent as she’d prattled. He was horrified.
She left the ladies’ retiring room and was about to make her way downstairs when she saw this same woman who’d been bragging about her exploits with Tynan now talking to a gentleman. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Don’t let it be Tynan.
Of course, it was.
“Lady Bascom,” he said, giving her a curt bow.
She wasted no time in putting her hands all over him. “Lord Bascom is out of town. I’ll see you tonight at the club. We’ll catch up where we left off.”
The peacock feather.
The black silk bindings.
The strawberries… those were quite delicious… and meant for Lady Bascom.
“I’m busy tonight,” Tynan surprised her by responding. “We’ll catch up another time.”
The beauty did not seem pleased and left in a snit.
Tynan raked a hand through his hair and chose that moment to turn his gaze to the stairs. “Abby. Hell, did you hear that exchange? It isn’t what you think.”
“Please take me home, Lord Westcliff. I’ve suddenly developed a terrible headache.” Because it
was exactly what she’d thought. He enjoyed ‘sophisticated’ woman, and she was a naive virgin who’d just embarrassed him by admitting that she loved him. “Better yet, perhaps Lord and Lady Exmoor can drop me off on their way home. You needn’t trouble yourself with me any longer.”
Tynan grabbed her arm.
His expression was thunderous. “I’ll take you home. I’m not trusting you to anyone else. You’re my responsibility.” He paused and muttered under his breath. “You’re not a responsibility, you’re a pleasure.”
“Hah!” If that wasn’t an outright lie, she didn’t know what was.
His eyes were a dark and turbulent, fiery green. “You’re no trouble to me, Abby. You never have been and never will be. Got that?”
“No, I don’t ‘get’ any of this. Just take me home before we create a scene. I can’t wait for this night to end.”
“Bollocks.” But he called for his carriage and they were soon in it, making their way back to her townhouse.
Abby didn’t think this night could get any worse.
She was trapped in this carriage with the man she loved and who didn’t love her back. Not only did he not love her, he was merely biding his time until he could be rid of her. Indeed, this night could not get any worse.
But she was wrong.
When the carriage rolled to a stop, she climbed down on her own and strode to her front door. It was wide open and unattended. Oh, no. What now? Jameson and Sally hurried down the hall stairs as she walked in. “Miss Abigail, he knocked Vickers out with a candlestick and escaped.”
“Peter?” She thought her brother was too weak to lift himself out of bed, much less best his beefy valet.
Jameson nodded. “We’re so sorry, Miss Abigail. We should have been watching him closer. A friend of his paid a call, but he was with Lord Peter for no more than five minutes before he left. He appeared quite respectable. An old school mate of his lordship’s, he claimed to be. This is all my fault.”
