Blinded by Grace: Book Five of the Cotillion Ball series (Crimson Romance)

by Lower, Becky

  “I need some refreshments. May I bring you anything, Mother?” She stood quickly, needing to put some space between herself and her mother before she said more things she might later regret.

  “You may bring back my dutiful daughter. That’s all I want.” Her mother’s eyes begged her.

  “I don’t think so. How about some lemonade instead?”

  Grace left her mother’s side and walked with purpose to the refreshment table. She helped herself to a slice of sweetbread and a glass of lemonade, but didn’t want to return to her mother’s side to imbibe. She surveyed the crowd in the ballroom. None of them were paying any attention to her. She guessed she had caused enough excitement for them for one night and now they merely wanted to enjoy each other. She drifted out onto the balcony again, where she hoped to eat her food in peace.

  She found a bench in a quiet corner, and sat hidden in the shadows. This was more similar to what her life in society had been, up until tonight. Hidden in the shadows with no one aware of her existence. Her body began to relax and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply of the lightly scented air.

  Cigar smoke made its way into her senses, overpowering the floral scent the air had mere moments before. Her eyes popped open, and she scanned the balcony, searching for Halwyn. No, it wasn’t him, just two other young men enjoying a smoke before heading inside. She strained to hear their quiet conversation.

  “Can you believe the stunt Halwyn Fitzpatrick pulled off tonight?”

  “I have to hand it to him. He one-upped all of us. I paid no heed to the rumors about Grace Wagner and her money because of her shabby appearance. At least until this evening. Now he’s going to get it all! Not that the Fitzpatricks need any more money. The rich just keep getting richer, don’t they? Lucky bastard.”

  “I could bed her, too, if it meant I could have access to her father’s money.” The second man laughed, and Grace’s cheeks flamed with humiliation.

  “I don’t know. She cut a pretty enough figure tonight, in the gown Halwyn bought for her. What do you suppose she did to pay him back for it?” The first man joined in the laughter before they ground out their cigars and made their way back inside.

  Well, what could she expect? Her own stepfather had announced to the entire ballroom he thought she had become Halwyn’s mistress. Probably everyone in attendance was thinking the same things those two men voiced out here. Perhaps she could convince her mother to return home early, and cut short this most embarrassing evening. An evening that was supposed to be triumphant for her, in her new silver gown, but which now left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn’t wait to disappear from the ballroom.

  • • •

  The following afternoon, Halwyn knocked on the door of the Huffman household. He had sent no card announcing his intention to visit, because if he tipped his hand, Simon would make certain Grace and Sophie would be elsewhere. He waited for what seemed an eternity before a butler answered the door.

  “Halwyn Fitzpatrick, here to see Miss Wagner, please.” He handed his card to the man.

  The butler showed him into the small front parlor of the home, but, in an arrogant lack of etiquette, didn’t offer to relieve Halwyn of his hat. Halwyn twirled it in his hands as he paced the room like a wild animal. He was acting in a manner befitting a tiger, protecting what was his. And Grace was his responsibility. His unplanned announcement last night made it so, and placed both of them directly in the path of Simon’s self-righteousness. It was because of Halwyn’s acceptance of her outrageous idea of marriage that she was now placed in this precarious situation, and he needed to see her, to make certain Simon hadn’t laid a hand on her last night. He had gotten very little sleep after the ball, as Simon forced Grace into the carriage with him and her mother. Worry had him knotted up inside.

  He stopped his pacing when the door opened and Sophie Huffman entered the room. Her expression was guarded as she walked toward him.

  “Mr. Fitzpatrick, nice of you to call today. Rather unexpected, but nice. I regret Grace cannot join us this afternoon, though. She is indisposed.”

  “Is she ill? Has she been injured?” Halwyn immediately went on alert, and the knot in his stomach grew tighter as he grilled Mrs. Huffman.

  “Just a slight fever is all, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Nothing to get upset about. But she’s unable to visit with any of her suitors today, I’m afraid.”

  Halwyn straightened his stance as he stood in front of Sophie. “I am not just ‘any’ suitor, Mrs. Huffman, as you well know. Grace is my intended, and we need to discuss some matters pertaining to the household we are establishing.”

  Sophie Huffman spread her hands. “I’m sorry, Mr. Fitzpatrick, but it can’t be helped.”

  He fixed a hard stare on her, and was gratified to see her flinch. She was lying and he wanted to make her aware he could see right through her. He was a bit surprised when she did not back down. Simon Huffman must have truly made her afraid for her life. A long moment of silence passed between them.

  “Very well then. You win this skirmish, Mrs. Huffman.” He pulled an invitation from his pocket. “Mother requested that I drop this off to you, since I was coming here today. It’s the invitation to next weekend’s festivities at Alistair Wickersham’s racetrack in the Bronx. As the parents of my intended, we expect to see you and your husband in attendance for the two days of events. I’m sure you’ll agree to not attend would be social suicide for you both.”

  He placed his hat back on his head, brought his hand up to the brim in a mock salute, and left the parlor without a goodbye or a backwards glance. He was grateful the butler had ignored his hat. This way, he could make a statement rather than shift from one foot to another while the butler went in search of his headwear.

  He stopped when he got to the sidewalk, forcing himself to take a few deep breaths to calm down.

  “Psst. Halwyn!” A whispered voice from above floated down to him. He glanced up at the second story of the house. Grace had opened the window and had her head as far out as she could.

  Halwyn caught her motion of her finger to her lips and whispered his question to her. “Grace, are you all right?”

  “Yes, but Mother has locked me in my room until you leave. Otherwise, I would have come down, regardless of what she told me.”

  “Simon didn’t lay a hand on you, then?”

  Grace smiled, and the tension in Halwyn’s stomach began to loosen a bit. “No, your threat is holding him in check. For now.”

  “We must talk soon.”

  “Meet me in church tomorrow. Oops. I hear Mother coming upstairs.” She pulled back out of the window, and forced it shut.

  Halwyn turned and strode away from the brownstone. His step was much lighter than it had been on his approach. He began to formulate plans to “accidentally” run into Grace at more events than church. He had almost kissed her last night. Admittedly, it had been her suggestion. But she hadn’t needed to ask twice if he would do her bidding. He had glanced at her pale pink lips, and had thought again about how much they reminded him of a flower petal, as he had in the carriage. He had wanted to find out if her lips would truly be as soft as he had envisioned. His fingers had caressed her chin as he drew her to him. A mere second away from finding out how Grace tasted, when they had been interrupted. The moment had evaporated.

  A kiss while they were in church or socializing afterwards would be highly inappropriate, but the following weekend was the big doings at the racetrack. If he couldn’t find a quiet spot to get her alone, he did not possess the principled, analytical mind he thought he did.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Halwyn waited outside the church the next morning for Grace to arrive. The opening strains of the organ wafted through the air as the Huffman carriage finally rolled down the street. Grace gave him a radiant smile as she waited for her mother and stepfather to alight. Halwyn stepped forward, and wrapped Grace’s arm around his.

  He touched the brim of his silk top hat. “You are lovely this morning, G
race. Will you accompany me to our family’s pew?”

  Simon caught up to the couple and tugged on Grace’s free hand. “You are going nowhere with this scoundrel, Grace. You will sit with us, as you always have.”

  Halwyn put his hand over hers, which was still on his arm, and glared at Simon. “It is accepted practice for a betrothed couple to sit in the pew of the household into which the woman will marry.”

  “And I believe I’ve made myself clear. Grace will marry you only over my dead body.”

  Halwyn’s smile turned to a grimace. “However you want it, Simon. But she is my intended, and right now I want to let everyone in the congregation in on the news.”

  He turned, with Grace, and together they entered the church. Amid murmurs from the members of the congregation they walked down the aisle to where the Fitzpatrick family sat every week. Charlotte rose and gave Grace a peck on the cheek before they sat.

  “Well, that went smoothly,” Halwyn whispered.

  Grace giggled softly, and kept her hand on Halwyn’s arm. “Your comeback to Simon was perfect.”

  “Perhaps you can accompany us back home after the service. Then you and I can drive by the house you wanted me to consider.”

  Grace’s eyes glowed as she settled in next to him. A warming tingle ran down his arm where she brushed up against him.

  “An excellent plan, Halwyn.” She rewarded him with another smile before they rose for the first hymn.

  The entire Fitzpatrick family formed a shield around Halwyn and Grace as they left the church fifty minutes later. Simon and Sophie were waiting by their carriage for Grace to emerge. Despite the service, and the sermon about loving your neighbor, Simon had a scowl on his face and was tapping his foot.

  Charlotte and George were first to arrive in front of the couple. Charlotte reached for Sophie, clasping her hands.

  “Thank you so much for allowing us to enjoy being with Grace this morning. She and Halwyn have some houses to investigate this afternoon, so we’ll take her with us in our carriage and deposit her back to your home later today, if it’s all right with you.”

  Sophie clearly was befuddled and Halwyn smiled. His mother had that effect on people, when she put her mind to it. There was no way Sophie and Simon could refuse without causing a scene. And they were in front of a church. Score one for Mother.

  Simon’s scowl grew deeper as he stepped between Sophie and Charlotte. “Grace has duties at her own home as well.”

  “Oh, we’ll get her back in plenty of time for her to take care of whatever it is she has to do at your house, Simon. But she and Halwyn must find a place to reside before they marry, so it’s imperative they begin the search. Thank you, Simon.” Halwyn caught the tender smile her mother bestowed on Simon, as if he were the most agreeable man in the city.

  “Come along, Grace and Halwyn. Cook will have dinner waiting.”

  His mother climbed into the Fitzpatrick carriage without a backwards glance, the matter settled. As Halwyn helped Grace next enter the carriage, he got one final glimpse of Simon. By the angry scowl on his reddened face, Halwyn was certain the matter was far from over.

  • • •

  Grace settled herself into her soft featherbed on Sunday evening. What a glorious day it had been! First, everyone in the congregation was effectively given notice that she and Halwyn were a couple. Then, Mrs. Fitzpatrick orchestrated things so Grace could spend the remainder of the day with the Fitzpatrick family. How refreshing.

  Of course, she’d had to listen to the wrath of Simon for over an hour when she arrived home, finally, late in the day. Small enough sacrifice. The entire time he was railing on and on, although her body was in front of him, her mind wandered as she thought about the couple of homes she and Halwyn had toured. One in particular had caught the attention of them both, so she had no doubt Halwyn would put forth an offer on the property early in the coming week. Things were moving along quite nicely, despite Simon’s best efforts.

  Grace pictured the two of them alone in the house, away from the prying eyes of parents and chaperones. Would she finally be able to kiss him to her heart’s content? She had a vision of entering his library, where he would be bent over his desk, adding up sums or digesting a book of poems. She would step in front of him, remove his glasses, and sit in his lap. Then she’d run her fingers through his perfect mane of blond hair, daring to mess it up delightfully, and all thoughts of numbers and words would leave his head as he gave in to the passion she could tell was building between them, and kiss her senseless. And then he’d lower her to the library floor and do other delightful things to her body. The area between her legs pooled with dampness at the thought, even as she listened halfheartedly to Simon’s rant.

  The residence they had viewed had separate quarters for the man and the woman of the house, with a connecting door between the rooms. Would Halwyn ever be tempted to open the door? To knock down the wall between the rooms? The mere thought sent shivers down her spine. All she needed to do was convince Halwyn that she was the one woman who could fulfill his dreams of home and family. The home also had a large nursery area, and she envisioned a little replica of Halwyn stealing her heart as only a son could. How she longed to fill the nursery. And she was well aware—at least in principle—of what had to happen between herself and Halwyn, in order for babies to be born. It would involve much more than kissing. And if his kisses made her damp, she could only imagine what emotions the rest of his lovemaking would pull from her body. She might never be able to utter a single sensible syllable ever again.

  Simon finally had run out of harsh words to hurl at her, and she made her way to the second floor and her bedroom, where she allowed her ruminations about Halwyn to take full flight.

  She rolled onto her side and let her hand drift down her body. She had curves, but they were nothing special. A modest bust line, slightly flaring hips. She did have a glorious arch in her feet, but her shoes constantly covered the only part of her anatomy she thought worthy of a second glance. Perhaps she would be better served to entice Halwyn with her mind rather than her body. Her father had insisted on having an educated daughter, and gave her free rein in his library. Perhaps she needed to find a book to sharpen her mind a bit. Would Halwyn be impressed if she quoted a sonnet? Or recited lines from Shakespeare? He did have a fondness for Lord Byron, but Shakespeare? Probably not. But if she could present him with a balance sheet on the house expenditures she was planning, he would begin to rely on her as a valued member of the household. Yes, that was the key to gaining Halwyn’s true interest. Make herself indispensable. The key to his heart was her true goal—and she wasn’t at all certain how to get there.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Grace could barely contain her excitement as she boarded the carriage behind her mother and stepfather as they prepared for the ride to the Bronx for the weekend. Two glorious days with Halwyn! Surely she could find a quiet corner somewhere for them to talk, and possibly to finish the kiss that had almost happened. It would be better if Halwyn initiated the kiss, but Grace wasn’t opposed to orchestrating it herself again if need be. Hopefully, this time, Simon would not break things up before they got to the good part.

  She thought about the upcoming weekend’s activities. Jasmine had been so excited earlier in the week, when Grace stopped by the shop to see her. They discussed at length the events Jasmine, her husband, and her in-laws had put together to showcase the horses and the racetrack. Tonight, there was to be a formal dinner to get the weekend started. Approximately twenty people would be in attendance, most of them investors in the racetrack or board members at the bank, with a few friends sprinkled in. Grace guessed Simon could be considered an investor in the racetrack, since so much of the monthly stipend from the trust was disposed of by his ill-advised bets on the horses. He certainly wasn’t a board member of the bank, or, for that matter, a friend of the Fitzpatricks.

  Fortunately, she was a friend of theirs. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzpatrick and most of all, Halwyn, were
going to save her financial life. She hoped she could someday repay them for all their kindness. But those thoughts would have to wait for another day. Right now, she was excited about the weekend. After the dinner tonight, there would be entertainment in the parlor. Saturday morning would include a tour of the stables, and a short ride on some of the horses. The afternoon would be comprised of the opening of the track for the season. Ladies would dress in their finest, with wide-brimmed hats to keep the sun from their faces, as they enjoyed the horses galloping past the grandstand. The weekend would be capped off with a dance on Saturday evening. She only hoped the outfits she had packed would be considered good enough for Halwyn’s intended, even if they were several years old.

  “Don’t think I can’t read your mind, Grace,” Simon’s voice boomed across the carriage. “I know you’re plotting ways you can be alone with your lover. But your mother and I have other plans for you.”

  Grace’s back stiffened at the slur her stepfather gave to her reputation, but other than that, she didn’t allow him to see how his words affected her. Simon was a mean man and she couldn’t find any good in him. What had her mother seen to make her fall in love with him? Grace mentally compared him to Halwyn. No contest there. She smiled as she glanced over at Simon, hoping her true feelings for the man would be obscured by her sunny disposition. Her hand smoothed out a wrinkle in her blue muslin gown, and she was pleased to see her hand did not quiver. Not even Simon could make her miserable today.

  “What kind of plans do you have for me?”

  “Well, for one, I’ll be partaking in the horse ride tomorrow, and I want to be certain you and Halwyn Fitzpatrick plan to do so as well, so I can keep the two of you in my sights.”

  “Yes, of course we want to. I’m excited about being able to ride a horse at something more than a trot, which is all that’s allowed in the park.”