For the Love of the Lady

by Hutton, Callie

  The blasted man. Both men, and men in general. Pompous arses that they were.

  “He was in a bit of a hurry. But if you send him a note, I’m sure he will be happy to receive you and Prudence for tea one afternoon.” She grinned, remembering how much Henry hated those little tea sandwiches. “Be sure and ask Cook for the little sandwiches that go with the tea.”

  “Thanks, Mama.” Phoebe kissed her on the cheek and headed to her rooms.

  * * *

  The next afternoon Selina and a footman left the house to travel to Hatchard’s, her favorite bookstore. It had been a while since she’d treated herself to a new book, but since she no longer had the use of Henry’s library, now was a good time. Lady Penrose’s library—if it could be called such—was quite lacking in interesting reading.

  After two days of rain, the sky was a beautiful robin’s egg blue with soft clouds occasionally blocking out the bright sun. With summer in full bloom, she looked forward to long walks in the park. Perhaps she and the girls could take a ride around the park one afternoon when all of Society was there to see and be seen. ’Twas a good way to introduce them to the ton in anticipation of their come-out the following Season.

  Her spirits picked up as she entered the bookstore. The smell of paper and ink always excited her. What new adventures would she find between the pages?

  “Good afternoon, Lady Crampton.” Mr. Hatchard greeted her as she entered. He was a pleasant man, always willing to help her search for whatever it was she was looking for.

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Hatchard. It is such a lovely day, is it not?”

  “Yes, indeed. If I can be of assistance, please let me know.”

  Selina nodded and turned toward the stacks. She immediately went to the poetry shelves and began to peruse the titles.

  “Selina.” She turned at the whispered word. Henry stood behind her. “May I have a minute, please?”

  Some of her anger at his prior behavior had diminished, but she didn’t want to forgive him so easily. She was quite happy that he’d taken Crampton to task, but she still didn’t care for the manner in which he’d treated her like she wasn’t even present.

  “I just arrived, Henry. I would like some time to browse.”

  “Fine. Then suppose I do some browsing myself, and when you are ready, we can take tea at Gunter’s or any other tea shop you prefer?”

  She really should deny his request, but he looked so pathetic, she could not do it. “Very well. But don’t rush me.”

  Henry held his palms out. “No. Not at all. Take your time.” He began to whistle as he moved to the history section.

  Selina shook her head and continued to browse, pulling out a copy of Graham Hamilton by Lady Caroline Lamb.

  * * *

  Henry breathed a sigh of relief when Selina agreed to take tea with him. He’d only been gone from her house for about twenty minutes when he realized what a huge mistake he’d made and what an arse he’d been.

  He blamed it all on Crampton, of course. The man had some sort of plan that involved Selina, he was sure. Once Crampton had accepted his title, he’d hurried back to Greece where he’d been for the past four years. Now he’d arrived in London, looking for introductions to his peers so he could take up his seat in Parliament. At least, that was his story. Henry didn’t believe it for one minute.

  Once Selina had left them in Lady Penrose’s library, with the two men staring after her, Henry had turned to Crampton and waved toward the door. “This way out, Crampton.”

  The man had a rather nasty smirk on his face that Henry wished to remove, but being a gentleman and not wanting to make things worse with Selina, he ignored the gloat and left right behind Crampton.

  After about thirty minutes, Selina approached him with two books in her arms. “I am ready to leave, Henry. Have you finished?”

  “Yes. Indeed I have.” He placed the book he’d been flipping through back on the shelf and followed Selina to the counter. Once Hatchard had advised Selina of the amount of her purchase, Henry withdrew his pouch and plunked the coins on the countertop.

  “That isn’t necessary. I can purchase my own books.”

  He took Selina by the elbow and steered her out of the store. “Consider it part of your salary.”

  She took his extended arm. “I am no longer in your employ.”

  “Well, I was about to give you a raise and you left before I could advise you of that.”

  She laughed, and his heart lightened and his spirits rose. Nothing felt better than hearing Selina laugh. Well, perhaps there were one or two other things—most of them taking place between his sheets—but sunshine and a bright smile from Selina put his world back where things belonged.

  With it being such a wonderful day, they walked the short distance from Hatchard’s on Piccadilly to Gunter’s on Berkeley Square. Thinking that having tea in front of them would make their conversation more pleasant, they spoke only about the weather, the bookstore, and the girls’ note to Henry about stopping by for tea one day the following week.

  “I do miss those girls, you know.” Henry directed her past a young child causing trouble for his nanny. “Things are so quiet since you all left.”

  “Yes. It’s been adjustment for us, as well. I told the girls to send you a note because they were feeling a bit despondent.” She looked at him with a smirk. “For some reason, they seem to miss you.”

  “Ah, and you do not?”

  Selina sniffed. “I’m not quite sure. It depends on who you truly are. I have had my doubts of late.”

  He frowned. “What does that mean?”

  “Never mind. We are at the shop. Once we have our tea, we can resume our conversation.”

  Henry opened the door and bowed. “As you wish, my lady.”

  Chapter 7

  Gunter’s was one of the more fashionable tea houses in London. They also served ices, which were quite popular with the beau monde. Many of the fashionable set spent time there after shopping or an afternoon ride in the park.

  Since it was too early for most riders to be finished with their traverse around Hyde Park, there were only a few tables populated with customers. Henry held out a chair for Selina and joined her from across the table. A waiter immediately appeared, and they placed their orders.

  “Selina, I wish to apologize for my behavior recently. I overreacted and placed you in a difficult position.”

  “Yes. Indeed, you did.”

  He tugged at his cravat. Normally, he eschewed the blasted thing—at least in his own home—but proper dress required it once a gentleman stepped out of his house. “I do not wish to distress you, but there has been speculation that the reason you moved out of my house was because we were no longer involved.”

  “That is preposterous, Henry. Everyone knows I could not stay in your house once Marigold married. It was even risky while your daughter was in residence. Instead of making something foul out of it, I should be applauded for doing the correct and proper thing.”

  “My dear, you know how the ton loves gossip and potential scandal.”

  Selina huffed. “I am certainly not of an age to create scandal.”

  The waiter arrived with their tea and sweets. He bowed and left them, and Selina poured, fixing his tea precisely as he liked it. Gads, he missed her for so many reasons.

  “In any event, somehow word has reached my ear that you are looking for another—person—to…”

  Her brows rose. “To what?”

  “I hate to say this, but to warm your bed.”

  Both of her hands flew to her mouth, and her face flushed bright red. “Surely you are mistaken. I have never done anything to indicate I am that type of widow. I have always been respectable and conducted myself in a proper manner.”

  Henry glanced around at the few people in the tea house who looked with too much interest in their direction. “My dear, calm yourself. Of course, you have always been aware of the proprieties.” He would be foolish, indeed, to mention that she’d
warmed his bed for a couple of years, which was not exactly proper, but he’d always followed their romps in bed with a proposal.

  Which she continuously and firmly refused.

  “Why would someone say such a thing? I don’t understand.”

  “That brings me back to Crampton.” Henry wiped his mouth with a serviette and placed it alongside his plate. What they served here would only give him an appetite for real food which he would have to seek once he arrived home.

  “Do you think he has something to do with this?”

  “I am almost sure. He shows up in London after spending all his time in Greece, and suddenly he seeks you out to be introduced? He wants to take up his seat in Parliament? Not likely.”

  Selina blew out a deep breath. “What would be his purpose?”

  “Easy. He wants to marry you so he can put his hands on the girls’ fortune.”

  “Marry me! I would never marry that man. He is obnoxious, pushy, annoying, and he doesn’t smell like you.”

  If his eyebrows could go any farther, they would fly off his face. “Doesn’t smell like me?”

  She grinned, and his heart melted. Damn, he had to do something to get her back into his house. His bed. His life. He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. “We have to find a solution to this.”

  “Has there been any word from your solicitor?”

  Henry pulled his hand back and slumped in his chair. “Yes. There is no way to break the will. As Barnes indicated when we met with him, Mr. Darwin is not one to make mistakes when it comes to legal matters. If you marry, the money automatically goes to Crampton. To my way of thinking, given how much your husband disliked his heir, I don’t understand why he set it up this way.”

  “I’m afraid the reason he did that was he disliked me just as much.”

  Henry shook his head. “That is not possible.”

  “It is. In addition to always blaming me for only having girls and for not conceiving again, he moved us to the country because he kept accusing me of encouraging other men. He spent the last two years of his life dragging me from physician to physician for ‘cures’ for my inability to conceive.” She shuddered. “Some of those ‘treatments’ were horrible.”

  Once again Henry wished Crampton was still alive so he could kill him. Slowly and painfully.

  Selina continued. “I do want to warn you, however, that I will not pressure Prudence and Phoebe to marry just anyone so I may become free.”

  “No. I would not want that.” Well, he did wish for quick marriages for the girls, but he would not say so and cause another argument. And he truly wanted for them what his own daughters had. Love and happiness. “How is it you came to be married to Crampton? He must have been a few decades older than you.”

  “He was. I was eighteen in my first Season since we had been mourning the loss of my brother the year before. My parents never got over his death, and they wanted in the worse way to leave England and move to the continent where there were no memories of David.

  “Crampton approached my father with an offer, money changed hands, and I was betrothed before my first Season ended.”

  His heart broke for the girl robbed of the things most young ladies looked forward to for most of their childhood. “Your experience was unpleasant, to say the least. I promise you a much happier life when we are married.”

  Selina dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her serviette. “I know, Henry. I know.”

  * * *

  Two days after they reconciled at Gunter’s Tea House, Selina dressed for a garden party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Sanford, the third son of the Earl of Monroe. Sanford and his wife, a very young and flighty girl, had only married a few weeks prior and just now returned from their honeymoon. Their marriage was said to be a love match, although Selina could not fathom why the very stiff and staid Mr. Sanford had fallen in love with the silly Lady Marie.

  She loved her pale blue muslin gown with a deep blue ribbon under her breasts and around the hem of the gown. She turned to view in the mirror how the ribbon tied into a lovely bow at her back, its ends flowing all the way to the hem. Although she’d worn this to several events, it remained her favorite, and she didn’t care if one didn’t seem fashionable, wearing the same garments. It was one of her favorite gowns, and she was looking forward to Henry’s arrival to escort her.

  The weather had been a bit threatening earlier in the day, but now the clouds had moved on and sunlight filtered through her bedchamber window. She was also excited because Prudence and Phoebe were attending with her and Henry.

  Since the girls would make their come-outs next year, she thought it appropriate for them to attend a few smaller social events before then. Miss Fletcher would attend also so they would be well chaperoned.

  “My lady, Lord Pomeroy has arrived and awaits you downstairs.” Jenny peeked her head into the room, her arm covered with colorful brocade wraps.

  “Thank you, Jenny. Are the girls ready?”

  “Yes, my lady. They are just awaiting their wraps that needed a bit of pressing.”

  One more glance in the mirror to check her hair, and she left the room. Henry stood in the entrance hall conversing with Malcolm, Lady Penrose’s butler. Both men turned as she descended the stairs.

  “Good afternoon, my lady. You look stunning.” Henry took her hand and kissed the back of it.

  “Thank you, my lord. You look well yourself.” Indeed, he did. His dark blue jacket fit his frame remarkably well. His buff breeches were tucked into well-polished black hessian boots, and despite his distaste for cravats, his had been folded in an extravagant way. Overall, his appearance was enough to set her heart to thumping.

  “Is Lady Penrose attending with us?”

  She pulled her gloves on. “No. She had an engagement elsewhere.”

  “Ah, here come the girls now.” Henry’s eyes lit up as Prudence and Phoebe made their way down the stairs.

  As a proud mother, she thought the world of them, but even with a critical eye, she admitted they were quite pretty and would most likely have a very successful Season come next year.

  They were dressed in similar gowns, white muslin with pink embroidered flowers scattered throughout the bottom of the gown and along the neckline, with yellow flowers decorating Phoebe’s. Their straw bonnets were rimmed with flowers matching their gowns and wide satin identical ribbons tied under their chins. Miss Fletcher followed behind them, beaming at the girls. She was almost as proud as Selina was.

  Henry bent over Phoebe’s hand, then Prudence. “My ladies, you are looking splendid. I will spend most of my time chasing off the young bucks, I am sure.”

  The girls both blushed and attempted to hide their giggles, which they were not at all successful in doing.

  Unbidden tears welled in Selina’s eyes. These girls were her babies. They were not ready for marriage. How could she encourage them to select a gentleman at their young age merely to grant her the freedom to marry Henry?

  They should have a few years to enjoy the balls and other events before they chose a husband. And she wanted love for her girls. Besotted husbands took very good care of their wives. No, even if it meant she had to put off her own happiness, it would be worth it to see her girls happily settled with doting husbands.

  “Well, as I get to escort three beautiful women to the garden party, I consider myself the luckiest of men.” With those words, Henry took Selina’s arm, and they all descended the stairs to Henry’s waiting carriage.

  All five of them squeezed into Henry’s coach. The girls were bubbling with excitement at attending their first ton event. Miss Fletcher reminded them of all the things she had covered with them. “I want to be sure you make an excellent first impression. Remember, you can only make one first impression.”

  The girls nodded, but it was apparent from their bland faces they had heard this sermon many times before. Selina leaned back and smiled. They would be just fine. They were pretty, with typical English creamy skin,
intelligent, well-mannered, and well-trained.

  Several carriages formed a line in front of them as they drew up to Sanford’s house. Women wearing colorful afternoon gowns, clinging to gentlemen’s arms, strolled up the pathway to the back garden, while footmen directed their carriages to the mews on the next street.

  Henry stepped out once the footman let the steps down, turned and helped her, the girls, and Miss Fletcher. “I wish I had more arms,” he said. “There are simply too many lovely ladies for me to escort.”

  The girls giggled again, which drew a sharp comment from Miss Fletcher. They followed the rest of the guests to the back garden.

  The gardener had done a wonderful job of making everything look fresh and beautiful. The brick patio was lined with pots of flowers, and small round tables had been set out for the guests to enjoy the refreshments.

  “I think I would like a stroll right now, Henry.” Even though it hadn’t been a long ride in the carriage, she was reluctant to sit again right away.

  “Certainly, my dear.” He extended his arm.

  “I will stay with the girls,” Miss Fletcher said.

  She and Henry took the few steps down to the garden area and walked the pathway. “It is such a lovely afternoon, and the Sanford gardener has done a wonderful job.” She pointed to her left. “Look at those beautiful roses!”

  Their stroll took them around the garden, where they admired all the flowers, the pathway leading them back to the patio where many more guests had gathered. She felt Henry’s arm stiffen under her hand. “What is it, Henry?”

  “Crampton,” he growled.

  Selina looked up to where Phoebe and Prudence stood conversing with Lord Crampton, who was standing much too close to them. Miss Fletcher looked around, as if searching for someone. Most likely her and Henry.

  Chapter 8

  Henry practically dragged Selina along as he made his way to the patio where that bounder, Lord Crampton, had the nerve to converse with the girls. “Here, Crampton, what are you doing?”