Allerdale: Confirmed Bachelors Book 1

by Jenny Hambly

  “Undoubtedly,” Eleanor agreed.

  “If ever I knew such a scheming pair,” Linny said in severe tones. “Poor Lord Haverham doesn’t stand a chance against the two of you.”

  “And do you disapprove of our scheme, Linny?” Eleanor said.

  “Now, I didn’t say that,” the maid said. “Needs must when the devil drives.”

  Chapter 19

  Miles awoke with a thumping head. He had returned to his rooms very late after the cricket match. His team had been the victors, and he had enjoyed the privilege of hitting the winning ball. He was carried from the field on the shoulders of Somerton and Cranbourne, a grin on his face. He had been surprised to discover as he raised his hand to the cheering crowd, a wish that Miss Edgcott had been amongst them, which was quite ridiculous, for what did women know of cricket?

  They had put him down in front of his father, who had shaken him by the hand and said coolly, “Thank you, Allerdale, you have just won me a considerable amount of money.”

  “I had no idea of it,” he had said grinning, “and I am pleased that I did not. If I had known, hitting that last ball might have seemed like a Herculean feat.”

  “That is why I did not tell you, but I have rarely known you to fail at anything you have set your mind to, whether it be an honourable goal or a disreputable one. Now, go and celebrate with your friends.”

  He had not hesitated to do so and had been borne off to several taverns to celebrate. He had abandoned himself to male company and a great quantity of wine, although he did seem to remember saying to his friends at some point during the evening, “Aren’t you meant to be leaving early in the morning?”

  “We are,” Lord Cranbourne had confirmed.

  “And aren’t you supposed to be taking Miss Edgcott for her driving lesson at eight o’clock?” Lord Somerton had said.

  “I am,” he had agreed.

  But they had, by that time, reached the stage where the morning might as well have been next year.

  Lord Carteret, rarely a heavy drinker, had been the most cast away of them all. He had hiccupped and said, “I’m dashed glad I’ve got no female waiting for me to make an early appearance, for there’s no doubt about it, I couldn’t do it!”

  Miles rolled over and groaned. He was not at all sure he could do it either. He had not imbibed such a great quantity of alcohol for nigh on a year! He was on the point of sending his man around to South Audley Street with a message when he suddenly remembered that Miss Edgcott had said something about leaving Town soon. He swore softly under his breath, threw off his covers, and staggered to his feet.

  After he had thrown a quantity of cold water over his head and partaken of a substantial breakfast, he felt much more the thing. But even so, when Tibbs arrived promptly ten minutes before the hour, he took one look at his master and said, “Are you sure you want to be teaching a female to drive these greys today, sir?”

  “I’m not sure of anything,” he admitted dryly, “but I have always been a man of my word, and I’m damned if I’ll break it just because I made a night of it.”

  “No, sir,” Tibbs said in mild accents that in no way deceived Miles. “And if she breaks your neck, I’m sure that’ll give you some comfort.”

  Miles laughed. “If she breaks my neck, Tibbs, I don’t suppose I’ll need any comfort.”

  Miss Edgcott had clearly been watching out for him, for she tripped down the steps looking as fresh as a daisy in a green pelisse, and a hat of chip straw, embellished with a plume of cream and brown feathers, the moment he came to a stop.

  “Good morning, Lord Allerdale,” she said, her smile almost blinding him.

  Before he could move, she hurried around the vehicle, sprang lightly up, and gave him a very clear look. Miles had the uncomfortable feeling that she could see past his smiling countenance to the mess that lay beneath. His fears were confirmed when she said, “You have the look of a man who has had one bottle too many and is now regretting it.”

  “I cannot deny it,” he admitted, his smile souring. “But it is not at all the thing for a lady to comment on it.”

  Her eyes lit with laughter even though her lips only curved up at the corners by the smallest degree. “I could confine myself only to the subjects ladies are supposed to talk about if you think it would amuse you.”

  The only thing he thought might amuse him at that moment was to press a kiss to each smiling corner of her mouth, before nibbling at her luscious lower lip. His hands loosened on the reins as this thought crossed his mind and the horses jolted forwards.

  “It would not,” he said, encouraging them into a smoother gait, “but I cannot help but wonder how an unwed lady with no brothers should recognise so precisely the state I find myself in this morning.”

  “I have always had more men about me than women,” she explained. “I have often witnessed one of my father’s employees come to the table looking the worse for wear. In my experience, it was usually because they had been cast down by something, or quite the reverse, and they had been thrown into transports of delight by something and celebrated in fine style.” She raised a brow. “Tell me, did you win or lose the cricket match?”

  “You, Miss Edgcott, are too clever for your own good,” he said in the soft tone that Tibbs would have known to be wary of.

  “I am sure you are right,” she said mildly. “Mind your horses, sir, you very nearly scraped the pillar as we entered the gates.”

  Miles gritted his teeth as he heard a swiftly strangled chuckle issue from Tibbs. He brought his pair to a halt and handed the reins to Miss Edgcott, a satirical gleam in his eyes.

  “Perhaps you would like to show me how it is done?”

  “If you insist,” she said, expertly flicking the whip.

  The horses moved into a swift trot. Miss Edgcott threw him a glance quite as satirical as his own, before encouraging them into a canter and then a gallop.

  It was not often that Miles was speechless, but this was one of those rare occasions. As he glanced down at Miss Edgcott’s face, he realised that it was not triumph that had caused the wide smile to cross it, but happiness. He was certain that her joy had been enhanced by the knowledge that she had surprised him, but he somehow knew that its main cause was the experience, the freedom, of being in charge of a first-rate pair of horses and bowling along at a spanking pace on a fine spring morning.

  “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it,” Tibbs said.

  “Is this another thing your father taught you, Miss Edgcott?” Miles said, his smile now quite as wide as Eleanor’s.

  “Yes,” she said. “He was always prepared to teach me anything I wished to learn.”

  “Anything?”

  “Almost anything,” Miss Edgcott amended. “He drew the line at teaching me to fence. I do not know why, for he taught me to shoot and drive.”

  Miles briefly closed his eyes. Thank God he had not let her free with a sword, the thought did not bear thinking about.

  “You would be disadvantaged in any sword fight with a man, Miss Edgcott, you are not tall, and any man’s reach would put you at a severe disadvantage.”

  “I suppose so,” she conceded, slowing the horses to a sedate trot.

  “Walk with me, Miss Edgcott,” Miles said. “I need to clear my head. And by the way, I was celebrating; we won.”

  “Congratulations.” She suddenly laughed. “Did Lord Cranbourne and Lord Somerton celebrate with you?”

  “They did. Why do you ask?”

  “Oh dear,” she said. “If, as I suspect, they are in just such a case as you this morning, I fear they will receive a severe scold. Georgianna and Marianne cancelled their plans last evening so they would be ready for an early start.”

  Miles grinned. He rather thought that they would both be in a worse case than he, for he had been the first to leave to the party, although he was not about to admit this to Miss Edgcott.

  “I am sure they will rise to the occasion.”

  Eleanor
handed the reins to Tibbs. “I am pleased to think I did not terrify you.”

  “No, ma’am,” he said respectfully. “Far from it. It was a privilege to witness your skill. I wouldn’t ever have expected to see such a fine performance from a female, except perhaps at the circus.”

  “Thank you,” she said, laughing. “If ever I need to find employment, I will now know where to look.”

  They left the path and wandered over the grass. Eleanor came to a halt under a stand of trees, her eyes resting on the Serpentine glimmering in the distance.

  “I think this quite the best time to visit the park,” she said softly. “I used to wander for miles around the loch by my house in Scotland before I came to live with Frederick and Diana.”

  “You sound fond of the place,” Miles said.

  Eleanor shook her head. “No, I am selling the property. I will admit that the scenery is beautiful, but the house had not been lived in for years. Most of it was shut up, I lived in just a few rooms with a skeleton staff. I had thought that it was the damp, cold climate that I did not like, but I have come to realise that it was living alone, and without Papa in particular.”

  There was no self-pity in her voice, just resignation and a hint of pain. Miles discovered that he wished very much to banish that pain. He reached for the silver chain that he had draped about his neck and pulled it over his head. His eyes never left Eleanor’s and he felt a spurt of pleasure as hers widened when the pocket watch that it was attached to was revealed. She held out her hand and he dangled the chain so that the watch rested in her palm. She ran one slender finger across the repaired glass face and then closed her hand about it, glancing up at him with such fierce gratitude that he lost his head.

  He suddenly pulled her to him and did what he had wished to from the moment he had set eyes on her. His kiss was not gentle but greedy, and Eleanor responded without hesitation, matching his passion but in an innocent, untutored way that recalled him to his senses. He lifted his head but did not release her.

  Her eyes were huge in her face, filled with passion and wonder. His heart turned over. Words that he had no idea he was about to utter tumbled from his lips.

  “Eleanor, my clever, outrageous, fascinating, brave, madcap, darling. Will you marry me?”

  He watched the flame in her eyes dwindle until it was just an ember and felt his gut twist in uncertainty when she did not immediately answer but straightened her bonnet.

  “Ask me again, tomorrow,” she finally murmured.

  “Why?” he demanded. “What difference can a day make?”

  She raised her hand to his face. “Miles, my impetuous, passionate, reckless, honourable, restless love. A day can make the difference in any negotiation. Ideally, you should leave three days, but I don’t think I can wait that long.”

  “Why three days?” he said, interested despite his impatience.

  “Because on day one you feel sure of your position. On day two you have had time to reconsider and might discover that you are not quite as keen as you supposed. And by day three, you have had time to view all aspects of your proposition in an objective way and are therefore fit to make a decision.”

  “Then it is not your own position that you question?”

  “No,” she said. “I am almost certain of my position.”

  His eyes glistened with intent, but even as he moved to pull her to him again, determined to rid her of any lingering doubts, she pushed him away and he immediately released her.

  “No. I cannot think when you touch me, and I must. I had drawn up in my head a list of the things I desired in a husband, and although I had not thought you the man to fulfil them, my heart tells me otherwise. Ask me again tomorrow, Miles, after you have taken Lady Selena for a drive, or don’t. I wish you to be as certain as I, and I will not hold a man whose head is thick from a night’s carousing accountable for his actions today.”

  He reached for her hand and raised it his lips. “You, Eleanor Edgcott, are an extraordinary woman.”

  “An unusual one, perhaps,” she conceded. “Before you ask me again, Miles, if you ask me again, you should consider that I am unlikely to be a comfortable wife; I am as stubborn as you and I like to have my own way unless I am provided with a very good reason why I should not.”

  Miles raised his brows. They had, it seemed, entered into negotiations. He made an effort to concentrate.

  “That sounds reasonable,” he said. “My only stipulation would be that you should discuss what it is you wish to have your own way about with me before you do it.”

  Eleanor nodded. “That also sounds reasonable. And you should know that I like to take an interest in everything about me. I like to be busy.”

  He smiled. “We will live at Murton, one of my father’s estates near York when we are not in Town. It is a large estate and there will be much to keep you occupied.”

  “I would expect you to discuss with me your business also and consult my wishes before you make any decisions that would affect me or our children.”

  Miles took a deep breath. Our children. Those two little words struck him forcibly; he already felt a fierce protectiveness towards their unborn children.

  “Certainly, and I would expect the same courtesy.”

  “Of course. I also like to travel, and I would expect you to grant me that freedom,” she said a little doggedly.

  Miles realised that Eleanor expected this to be the stumbling block in their negotiations. He hoped it would not be, but if she thought he would allow her to leave the country without him by her side, she was chasing at rainbows.

  “Once it is safe to do so, we shall certainly travel abroad but you will not go without me. If you wish to come to London on a matter of business and I cannot accompany you, then my mother will. I will be surprised if she does not take an active interest in your project.” He smiled. “She will adore you when she knows you a little better.”

  He watched as she caught her lower lip in her teeth and did not realise he had been holding his breath until she nodded.

  “Very well,” she said. “There must always be some compromise in any negotiations. Now, we have set out our terms and you have until tomorrow to consider them carefully. I will not hold it against you if you change your mind.”

  “I will not, I assure you,” he said, offering her his arm. “We had better return; my mother will be waiting with some impatience for us to join her for breakfast.”

  As they drove the short distance to Berkeley Square, Eleanor felt the bubble of happiness inside her grow. When Lord Allerdale had kissed her, the last frozen part of her heart had melted. There had been no gentleness in his embrace, and she had not wished there to be. His energy had flowed into her, mingling with her own and it had felt perfect, she had felt complete, and she had known that she had finally come home. She had suddenly understood why her father could not replace her mother, for surely such depth of feeling was rare. It was beyond rational thought; it was as elemental as thunder and lightning.

  She smiled. For a moment Lord Allerdale had looked thunderstruck, and she had known that he had been taken as much by surprise as she, and so had allowed him a cooling-off period. But even as they drove through Mayfair, seated a respectable distance apart in the curricle, she could feel that they were still connected, that their energies were still reaching out and mingling. They had always had this connection she realised, from the moment she had looked into his eyes at Lady Brigham’s ball, she had somehow known that she had found a friend, but she had not allowed herself to think that she might have found more. She had been sure that they would not suit, and she finally admitted to herself, she had been afraid to love someone again.

  “Wait for me to help you down.”

  Eleanor blinked at this growled command and realised they had arrived. As she stood up, Miles ignored the hand she held out, but grasped her about the waist and lifted her down.

  “Miles,” she said. “Someone might see us.”

  “Let them,” he sai
d, unrepentant.

  She glanced up at the house and thought she saw a hand twitch a curtain. As they entered the breakfast parlour, Lady Brigham rose from the table and burst into rather breathless speech, “There, Brigham, I told you Miles would bring Miss Edgcott to us.”

  She hurried towards Eleanor, her hands outstretched. “I hope you don’t mind that we started without you, my dear, but Brigham seemed to think that Miles would be indisposed this morning.”

  “Not at all,” she said, taking the hands offered.

  Lord Brigham had also risen. He bowed. “Good morning, Miss Edgcott. I am pleased to discover that I was mistaken.” He glanced at his son. “My compliments, Allerdale. Forgive me for doubting your resilience.”

  “I doubted it myself, sir,” he said with a grin.

  “You won’t mind if I don’t get up, I know,” Lady Bassington said, nodding at Miss Edgcott. Her eyes twinkled. “Do you know, now I see you and Julia standing side by side, I cannot help but notice how alike you are. I wonder I had not noticed it before; you could almost be her daughter. Don’t you agree, Brigham?”

  “There is a passing similarity, I grant you,” he said.

  “In more than looks,” Miles murmured.

  Lord Brigham’s lips twitched.

  “Thank you, Lady Bassington,” Eleanor said, smiling at Miles as he held out a chair for her. “I shall take that as a compliment, but I fear it is not as complimentary a comparison for Lady Brigham; she is far prettier than I will ever be.”

  “Sweet girl,” Lady Brigham said. “Now, tell me, did you enjoy your lesson?”

  “Yes, it was very…” Her eyes sought out Miles’. “Very exhilarating.”

  He laughed. “Miss Edgcott, Mama, is an excellent whip. I dare say she could even take the shine out of you!”

  Lady Brigham gave a gurgle of laughter. “So, you were just teasing my poor boy when you asked him to teach you?”

  “The temptation was irresistible,” Eleanor said.

  “Well, I should like to test my skill against yours, Miss Edgcott—”