“I’m serious, Papa! You mustn’t say anything at dinner that makes it seem as though I’m searching for a husband. He wouldn’t like it and it may put him off our friendship altogether.”
He was still smiling wryly at her, but he pressed his lips together and made a gesture as if he were locking them with a key.
Barbara sighed, casting an exasperated glance toward heaven. “I’m going to change out of my damp clothes. Close these doors soon, before you catch sick.”
“Yes, daughter of mine,” he said with an obedient nod that made Barbara laugh as she left the room and went upstairs.
When she laid out her dress to be washed, she saw that the stain from the stew had faded almost completely. She chuckled. Captain Pemberton really was full of surprises.
Chapter 17
By the time Barbara was being jostled up to the Pemberton estate in her carriage, she was happily outfitted in one of the new dresses she’d had made. She did worry, however, on the ride over there that she would be under-dressed for the occasion. The dress was finely wrought, and the fabric was brand new and such a pleasingly crisp white that she felt quite regal in it. But she was aware that the design of the dress was rather plain and serviceable. She didn’t know how Captain Pemberton’s mother would take to it, and for some reason she didn’t fully understand, the lady’s opinion felt of vital importance that evening.
When she arrived at the grand home, the sun was setting and the marble stairs up to the front door were cast in a golden glow. At the top of those stairs there Captain Pemberton himself, with his mother at his arm. As she stepped out of the carriage, he jogged down the steps to offer his arm.
“We are so glad you could come, Lady Barbara,” he said in a low, gentle voice.
Raising his volume slightly, he introduced her to his mother.
Barbara dipped into as deep of a curtsy that she could trust herself to accomplish without incident. The lady was formidable; tall, with an aristocratic lift of her pointed chin. Her hair was black and curled into tight coils that shone in the sunset. Strands of shimmering gray did nothing to mar the luster of her hair; in fact, they added to it.
“How do you do, Lady Barbara?” she asked.
“Very well, My Lady. Thank you very much indeed for having me here this evening.”
The Dowager Countess smiled. “My son so rarely asks for such things. I could do nothing but agree readily. Please, come inside.”
With her hand draped over the warm crook of Captain Pemberton’s arm, Barbara was led inside the grand estate. She was no pauper herself, but the opulence of the home was striking. She was sure her eyes were wide as saucers as she was led through the echoing grand hallway.
She felt Captain Pemberton’s eyes on her and, glancing over to catch him staring at her, she blushed and tried to better hide her astonishment at his family’s wealth.
The dining hall was lit with candles, the golden glow of the sunset outside the windows melting seamlessly into the warmth of the candlelight. The table was set with such fine china and crystal that Barbara’s feeling of being under-dressed bloomed into a full-fledged anxiety. She sat down gingerly on the edge of the chair that Captain Pemberton pulled out for her. Her heart was beating wildly.
What am I so nervous about? Do calm down. It’s only dinner with a friend.
Looking across the table at Captain Pemberton as he sat down, she thought that she could see a hint of discomfort in his expression as well. She remembered how her father had said that it was unusual for him to invite someone to dinner.
Well, at least we are both out of practice when it comes to such commonplace social calls.
There was something comforting about knowing that she was not the only one who was nervous.
“So!” his mother started in, lifting up her crystal glass of wine after a smartly dressed servant had filled it. “My son has told me almost nothing about you, Lady Barbara. Of course, I know about the orphanage and your various other charitable works, and I know my late husband was friendly with your father. But I’m afraid that’s where my knowledge ends.”
“Oh. Um.” Barbara fumbled. “I don’t know where to start.”
She laughed nervously, glancing across the table. Captain Pemberton was smiling gently at her.
“Lady Barbara spends every morning with the orphans,” he offered. “She has a natural love for children, and they love her as a mother.”
“It’s nothing, really,” Barbara said. “I feel that I can be of better use at the orphanage than sat at home by myself. Since my siblings married and left home, I’ve been rather restless, myself.”
“Why, a lady of your age should be already settled up in a home of her own, should she not?”
Barbara sputtered. “I…uh…”
“How old are you, Lady Barbara?” The Dowager Countess asked.
“Mother…” Captain Pemberton murmured under his breath.
“Two-and-twenty, your grace,” Barbara answered, straightening her spine.
“The children at the orphanage are endlessly grateful for the Lady’s care and attention,” Captain Pemberton said. “Her time is very well spent there, and I admire her greatly for her devotion to them.”
Barbara caught his gaze across the table. She swallowed thickly at his tender glance, and felt her confidence grow under his praise.
“Well yes, of course,” the Dowager Countess said. “That goes without saying. We are, all of us, impressed by your charitable works.” Lady Pemberton took a bite of the roasted lamb that had been served onto her plate silently by the servant. She did not sound altogether convinced, but thankfully, she let the subject drop.
Barbara had to stifle a giggle when the captain looked at her and shook his head with a little apologetic grin as if to say, “I warned you.”
For a while, conversation lagged as they ate. The lamb melted on her tongue and the vegetables were buttery and delicious. She wondered if they dined like this every night, or if this had been made especially for her.
She cleared her throat quietly when the silence had carried on too long to be comfortable.
“You must be very proud, My Lady. Your son being a Captain of the Royal Navy.”
Lady Pemberton lit up at this, smiling genuinely for perhaps the first time since Barbara had arrived.
“He is the joy of my life,” she said, reaching across to squeeze the Captain’s hand.
Captain Pemberton looked curiously over at his mother. His eyes seemed darker, more on guard.
“Of course, it’s torturous to have him away from home for such long stretches of time. And I simply can’t abide by that dreary little townhouse of his, especially when this place stands empty, save for myself.”
“A grown man must have his own space, Mother,” the Captain said with apparent patience. It was clear that the townhouse was a point of contention between mother and son.
“I’ve seen very little of it, but the townhouse seems to quite suit the captain,” Barbara said, dipping her toe into the fray.
“Oh, he has allowed you into his lair?” the Dowager Countess asked archly. “He must like you very much, indeed.”
Barbara almost snorted at the term “lair.” It had been somewhat lairish when she had been there. Dark and somewhat dreary. But mysterious and interesting in its own way.
“She didn’t give me any choice in the matter and invited herself,” the captain said, his lip turning up at one corner at her over the table.
“Well, I must say that I am relieved that my son is meeting some new people during his convalescence. I was worried that he would spend the whole of the season locked up in his rooms.”
“My mother takes an eager interest in my social life,” the Captain replied.
Barbara chuckled. The conversation seemed to be hovering on the edge between friendly and combative between the mother and son, and she hoped that her presence could tip it toward the friendly side.
“The children find him rather fascinating. I saw you spe
aking with our young Freddie the other day. What did he ask you?” Barbara took a dainty bite of meat.
“He was inquiring as to my military history. It seems he has an interest in the navy.”
“Yes, several of our boys have their sights on a military career if they are never adopted before reaching their majority. I’m in favor of it, personally. I think it would provide them security and structure that could ease their transition into the world. Do you agree, Captain?”
“Mm.” He nodded as he finished his bite of food. “I can think of no better place for hearty young men. In a way, one’s shipmates become like a family.”
Barbara smiled gently. She had hoped that he would say something like that. “I always worry terribly about the ones who never find a home as children, who live in the orphanage until they become adults. Striking out on one’s own is a noble endeavor, of course, but without a true home to return to…I imagine it must be frightening. I always wish there was more I could do.”
“I’m sure you do all you can be expected to do. At some point, it’s up to everyone to be their own person and take hold of their own destiny,” the Dowager Countess said lightly.
“And surely they do have a true home to return to. Or can you truly say that you are never visited by those who lived in the orphanage as children?” the captain added on.
“I suppose you’re right,” she said, blushing slightly.
“Oh, my permission to come to dinner tonight was contingent on my also inviting the two of you to our home to return the favor. Any time is fine, whenever is convenient for you. My mother was always having friends over, but when she passed, I’m afraid that my father and my tendency toward shyness took over and we haven’t had much in the way of visits. I think he’d like to change that.”
“You? Shy?” Captain Pemberton asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Barbara laughed nervously. “I’ve had practice at masking it.”
“I’m certain we would love to come to dinner, would we not, son?”
“Of course.”
Barbara felt that she could not settle in to this conversation. She remained perched at the edge of her seat, taking tiny bites and trying her best to be pleasant and sociable. Every word she said sounded false and ridiculous in her own ears.
Despite the way he kept her off balance and giddy, it was so much easier when it was just her and the Captain. With his mother there, she felt as though she had to perform. She had to be witty and charming to stay in her good graces.
With the Captain, she never felt in danger of losing his attention. The way he looked at her…it was as if she were the only person in the room and there was no need to be anything other than what she was.
A servant had appeared and hovered anxiously near the door for a moment before approaching the table and silently placing a card near Lady Carlesend’s plate.
With her face a mask of imperious annoyance, she picked it up and read the name printed on it. She sighed heavily.
“Who is it, Mother?” the Captain asked. His tone was polite but underneath it was an undercurrent of “not this again.”
She turned toward Barbara and gave her a genial smile. “All this talk of the importance of making friends seems to have summoned some of mine.” She laughed. “It’s Lady Marion, of course. But she can wait, at least until we are finished eating.”
The rest of the meal felt rushed and awkward, knowing that Lady Carlesend had another guest who was waiting for her in the drawing room. Barbara looked over the table at Captain Pemberton and there was a spark of mischievousness in his eye.
“You see, Mother, that’s one advantage to living a solitary life, at least. Uninterrupted dinners.”
She laughed, though she seemed rather flustered by the whole situation. As soon as they had finished eating, they stood up and she excused herself.
“My friend has recently lost her husband, you see, and has been leaning on me in these trying times. I would introduce you, only I don’t know what state she’s in, and well…”
“I understand, Lady Carlesend. Thank you so much, again, for inviting me. You shall hear from my father soon and we will arrange the next dinner.”
“That sounds lovely, my dear.” She looked over at her son. “Perhaps Lady Barbara would enjoy a turn around the grounds? I do feel terrible about cutting the evening short.”
Captain Pemberton nodded and then his mother was gone and Barbara was left alone with the Captain again. The prospect both thrilled and, somehow, relaxed her. With Lady Carlesend gone, she felt that she could breathe again.
“Well, Lady Barbara,” he said. His hands were clasped behind his back and he looked rather stiff. He cleared his throat. “I can give you a tour, if you like. Or perhaps tea in the parlor would be more to your taste? I am at your disposal.”
Barbara smiled. “I’d love to see more of the house, actually. If you don’t mind?”
“Not at all. Right this way.”
Chapter 18
Jeffrey stepped forward and offered Lady Barbara his arm. During the dinner, his mother had mostly carried the conversation, but now that she had been called away, Jeffrey felt the pressure of needing to entertain Lady Barbara. He led her out into the hallway, pointing out some of the large portraits that hung on the wall.
“That is my grandfather. He died shortly after I was born. I don’t remember him at all, but my mother likes to tell a story about how I was seated on his lap as a baby and chewed on his fingers so roughly that he wouldn’t hold me anymore.”
“Oh dear,” Lady Barbara laughed. “And who is she?” She pointed delicately at a portrait of a lady dressed in ethereal white.
“Lady Grayson. I believe she would be considered my great aunt once removed? A distant relation, at any rate. She caused a bit of a stir in her day for being willful and headstrong. She never married and kept no less than sixteen cats. She was a painter, too. Some of the landscapes in our other rooms were hers.”
“She sounds fascinating,” Lady Barbara said, approval in her voice.
“I’m not surprised that you think so, My Lady,” he said.
“You’re teasing me.” Lady Barbara tightened her grip around his elbow and grinned up at him.
“Not at all,” he shook his head. “I meant it with the greatest admiration.”
She did not seem to believe him, but she did not respond. He led her toward the back of the house, where the less ostentatious rooms were. It was chilly in this part of the house, and the corridors were mostly dark.
“Did you grow up in this house, Captain Pemberton?” she asked after he pointed out some of the architectural details he happened to know something about.
“Please, Lady Barbara. I’d prefer that you call me Jeffrey now.”
“Oh,” He saw her cheeks grow pink, then she smiled. “In that case you must call me Barbara.”
“Very well,” he said. “As to your question, I grew up in school, if we are being brutally honest. But yes, this was my childhood home. Here…follow me, I’ll show you something”
His arm slid down and he grasped her small hand, pulling her gently along toward a bedroom in the western wing of the house.
“It’s a guest room now,” he explained. “But before the eastern wing was renovated, this was the master suite.”
He watched her as she stepped into the quiet room. There was a reverence about her, as though she were walking into a church. The room did feel somewhat chapel-like, with its heavy silence and the fact it was only half-lit by the light that filtered in from the hall.
Jeffrey stepped forward and took her gently by the shoulders. He heard her breath catch in her throat. Softly, he directed her to a particular spot next to the bed, before the window.
“Right about…here,” he said.
“What happened here?” she asked curiously, standing very still.
“I was born,” he revealed. “Right where you stand now.”
She laughed. “You don’t say!” She looked around her a
s if she expected to find some marker indicating the event. “How fascinating, that it all started right here. And now here you are, a man who has seen the whole world.”
“Not all of it,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning slightly against the bed post.
“Oh?”
“I have never been to Sweden.”
Barbara laughed again, that light, charming giggle that was so contagious that it brought a smile to his lips as well.
“I suppose you are quite young yet to have seen the whole world. One must have a goal, after all,” she said, leaving her spot to stand closer to him again, snaking her arm through his.
A Seductive Lady For The Scarred Earl (Steamy Regency Romance) Page 12
