“Yes. And he was willing.”
“To rescue my reputation.”
“You should be grateful, Nora. You made a mistake last night. It is noble of Gerard that he would even consider stooping to this level to help you escape the little trap you’ve woven for yourself.” Still, William seemed not to grasp the level of humiliation he’d foisted onto Nora. She felt ill and turned away, crossing her arms across her chest.
“This is horrifying,” she said quietly. “I cannot allow Lord Colbourne to do this, and I cannot believe that you would think for a moment that I would want this.”
“I assumed you would want someone to help you out of this mess –”
“Maybe!” she turned on him, feeling the flush hot in her cheeks again. “Maybe someone, but not him. He was standing right there. He saw everything. And this is only adding insult to injury.”
William shook his head in confusion. “David was there too. And I heard about it as well. You would have no problem letting us help you if we weren’t your brothers, and Gerard is as close to a brother as you’ll find outside of your own family. He said he sees you as his little sister and he is happy to preserve your dignity in any way that he can.”
Nora took a stumbling step back, feeling her heart ice over with every word William said. She was just a little sister. Of course, she’d known that. But to hear him say it so openly stung her to the core. And yet, how could her heart be ice when it seemed to be suddenly paired with such a fire and fury?
“I won’t stand for it.” She shook her head. “I don’t care what little arrangement you made behind my back with Lord Colbourne, but you can just go back to his house today and tell him that I won’t stand for it. I would rather spend the rest of the season in infamy than stand for a minute in that man’s pity.”
“You are being unreasonable, Nora. He’s not just any man. He’s Gerard.”
She had no way of showing him that the fact that he was ‘Gerard’ was the problem. Any other man, perhaps…but not Gerard. “I don’t care. I won’t do it.”
“He may be insulted. I went to great lengths to set this up for your benefit, Nora.” William shook his head, disappointment showing on his features. “You’ve always been a free spirit, but to hear you turning your back on a good opportunity like this surprises me. Usually you’re up for an adventure.”
“This is not an adventure. This is mortifying.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to understand,” she snapped, turning and walking away. “You just have to tell him this fake courtship you’ve arranged is off before it even began.”
Chapter 10
Gerard sat down at his desk in the study and opened his ledger to examine the numbers once again. His father had taught him to keep meticulous records all his life, but if he flipped far enough back in the book, he could see the place where the numbers changed in shape and it was his own father’s hand in the margins instead of his own. It hurt him, at times, to see that reminder, and yet he always did it before he looked over the next day’s figures – it was a sort of liturgical honouring of his father’s memory.
The former Lord Colbourne had been many things, but more than just a careful businessman he had been a good father. Gerard had always known, no matter how hard things were, that his father cared for him. Even a year after his death, the loss of that unconditional love still ached deep within him.
He slid his fingers down the ledger until he reached his most recent entry and then hovered there for a moment. It was a fairly innocuous number regarding the amount of meat retrieved from the slaughter in the autumn, but as he looked at it Gerard remembered with a start of concern how much larger the number had been the year before. Everything was leaner now that his father had gone. He jotted a few notes on the subject and made a mental note to check the prices of mutton earlier in the season – maybe if they bought some of the new replacement livestock earlier at the block the price to feed them would be offset by the cheaper buying price. It was worth hoping, at least.
A knock came on the door, and his mother was there in a moment. Lady Colbourne was a tall, thin woman with hair that was still dark, hardly greying at all, and sharp features. She was an opinionated woman, but Gerard knew, just as he’d known with his father, that she loved him very much and wished only the best for him. She stepped inside and smiled at him.
“How was last night?”
He thought about everything that had transpired but wasn’t yet ready to tell her about the matter with Nora and the Pembrokes. He assumed his mother would be happy just to know that he was in a courtship of any sort, but for some reason the whole affair still seemed surreal. Instead, he smiled weakly. “Well enough, but now it’s back to the real world.” He waved at the ledger in front of him.
She came and stood behind his chair, looking down at the numbers with a frown. “You know that the season is a time for you to make connections in the House of Lords and to seek out social connections. There will be plenty of time to tend to the affairs of the country estate afterwards.”
“I know that is the system,” Gerard said quietly. “But I cannot quite turn my back on the plight of the tenants left behind. While I am able to dance the night away and pretend for the length of the parliamentary session that all as well, they must continue on with the daily duties of trying to keep the struggling estate afloat.”
“Come dear,” his mother said, smiling patiently. “Do you think we must say ‘struggling?’ It sounds so vulgar.”
Gerard just looked at her for a moment and then dropped his gaze. He didn’t want to argue with her, but he couldn’t think of a more appropriate explanation for the current state of his inheritance. She was quiet as he looked down, and then put a hand on his shoulder. “Forgive me,” she said kindly. “I know you are only trying to do the best that you can under the circumstances, and I am grateful for it – believe you me.”
“Sir –” This from the doorway again. “There’s a Mr William Pembroke here to see you.”
The footman gave a little bow.
“Send him in,” Gerard said.
The footman stepped aside, and William strode into the room in his usual way of filling up a space with his charismatic presence. He walked immediately over to Lady Colbourne and bowed in a sophisticated manner.
“My lady,” he said. “It is good to see you looking so well, and to know that we shall share many more days in London in the future.”
Gerard knew his mother well enough to know that, while she was generally charmed with the manners of the eldest Pembroke, she had always been rather suspicious of Gerard’s association with such a wild, outspoken family. Still, he could see her smile indulgently at his friend’s good behaviour, and she extended her hand to him in a queen-like manner.
“It is always good to be back at the beginning of the season and see old friends,” she said grandly. “Do wish Mr and Mrs Pembroke my best.” She smiled at Gerard and, bidding both gentlemen good day for the moment, swept out of the room.
In her absence, William drew up a seat by the fireside and leaned back in it, crossing one leg over the other. He had an annoyed crease on his face, now that the two friends were left alone, and he seemed to be inordinately concerned with the movement of the flames in the fireplace.
“Well, my good man. How are you feeling this morning?” Gerard asked, standing and ringing for the footman to return with tea. “Did you come to make certain that our deal from last night is still on? Because I haven’t had second thoughts. I’m still planning on going over this afternoon to start a conversation with your little sister on the matter.”
William sighed. “I wish I was coming to confirm, but unfortunately it appears that you will not need to make my sister’s acquaintance in any further way than you already have. In fact, you won’t even need to explain the matter to her.”
Gerard sat up a bit straighter, confused. “Pardon me, but are you saying that you already spoke with Nora on the subject?�
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“I did, earlier this morning.”
“And she was not fond of the idea.” Gerard wondered why it had taken him this long to think of the flaw in having William speak to Nora before he did. The Pembrokes were a fine family, but more often than not they tended to think their way was the right way, and sometimes they phrased matters more harshly than Gerard thought absolutely necessary.
“She seemed to think the whole matter was humiliating, for some reason. Don’t ask me to explain her reasoning to you – it’s childish and based not at all in logical reasoning.” William ran a hand through his hair. “Honestly, I’d expect better of Nora. But just forget about everything. As far as we’re concerned, I never asked, and you never agreed.”
Gerard shook his head. “Do you think it would help if I talked to her?”
“She didn’t seem to think your involvement was a good thing at all. Did you two quarrel at the ball?”
Gerard frowned. “No, we didn’t.” Still, he suspected that the plot itself wasn’t to blame as much as William’s introduction of it.
“Then I’m sorry,” William said with a shrug. “There’s no explanation for it. You would think that a sharp, sensitive girl like Nora would be clever enough to see a way out when it’s handed to her on a silver platter. But it seems she still hasn’t grown up as much as I thought she had.”
“Or perhaps she’s more grown up than the both of us,” Gerard mused, unintentionally speaking his thoughts aloud.
“What do you mean?” William asked.
“Nothing of importance,” Gerard said quickly. “But I do think that I will try the matter myself before I give up entirely.”
Chapter 11
“Nora, dear. Let me have a look at your work.” Fanny waved her daughter across the parlour to her side to look at her embroidery.
Nora stood, trying to suppress her annoyance. She had always hated this little task so strangely associated with elegant womanhood, and though she could make landscapes come alive on pieces of plain paper, she found a needle and thread to be the most limiting of mediums.
Today’s work was stitched haphazardly on a piece of cream muslin, and when Fanny examined it, Nora could see her forehead knit in thought.
“You should really try more simple patterns until you’ve had the practice necessary for these complicated designs,” she said at last, handing the sewing back to Nora.
“You’ve been saying that since I was a little girl, Mother.”
“I can’t have. You’re of course improving, dear.”
Nora bit her lip and went back to sit down. She did not feel like she was improving. Embroidery felt like just another in a long list of things that other girls seemed to learn naturally, and she could not manage to perfect.
She pulled the yellow-gold thread up and put it neatly through the fabric, trying yet again to weave tiny daffodils around the base of the little stone folly she’d tried to stitch in the cloth. Except the folly looked more like a plain boulder, and the lovers standing inside like two spots of colour painted in Neolithic style on the outside.
At that moment the door to the parlour opened and in stepped her three brothers and Lord Colbourne, one after the other. Nora stood at once, as did her mother, in the proper receiving stance of two ladies meeting any guest in London. But Nora felt her heart begin beating more rapidly almost at once. She couldn’t bring herself to look at Gerard, not after what she’d learned earlier that day about William’s request.
“My!” Fanny Pembroke exclaimed. She set aside her own work and curtsied with delight. “What a pleasure to see you again, Lord Colbourne. I’m so sorry we didn’t have more time to talk at last night’s festivities. I do so love a ball, but it seems that at the beginning of the season it’s so difficult to connect at the first few because there are so many people and so much to catch up on.”
Nora felt the blush climb further into her cheeks. Her mother was rambling, and if it was apparent to her she was certain it was apparent to Gerard as well. She was trying to cover for the awkward events of the night before, and in so doing was embarrassing Nora all the more.
“I also find such events a trial at times,” Gerard said graciously, bowing and coming further into the room. Nora couldn’t help noticing how sharp and elegant he looked this morning, his curling dark hair swept back from his face, his grey eyes calm and reserved above a well-tied cravat and a crisp dress coat.
“And to what do we owe the honour of your visit this morning?” Fanny asked with a smile.
“Actually,” Gerard said, letting his eyes flit for the first time in Nora’s direction, though she dropped hers at once to avoid eye contact, “I came to call on Miss Pembroke, if that’s quite all right with you.”
Nora shrank inwardly. Hadn’t William told his friend her verdict on the matter? It was appalling that he would think for even a moment that she was willing to go along with such a wild, mortifying scheme. Fanny Pembroke, however, seemed absolutely delighted. She smiled widely and curtsied again, although there was no longer any social need for it.
“Of course,” she said, stumbling over her words. “You may call on my daughter at any time you desire.”
Nora stood very still, her eyes on the carpet, making a superhuman effort to stay standing in the pool of shame she now occupied instead of succumbing to an ever-growing desire to sprint from the room to the safety of her own chambers.
“Mother,” David said quickly, “James and I were going to the tailor to choose the cloth for our riding jackets this season, and we would so treasure your opinion on the subject.”
“Just now?” Fanny asked, raising her eyebrows. “We have a guest.”
“But our appointments are now,” James said quickly.
“Yes,” David added, “but if you can’t make it, we of course understand. I was thinking about ordering a scarlet coat anyway, and I know how much you disapprove.”
Nora looked up in surprise, truly astonished that William had managed to rope her other two brothers into the whole mad scheme as well. It seemed to be working, for Fanny bit her lip and then, smiling benevolently at Gerard, said, “Well, I suppose we can spend more time in conversation the next time you visit. William, will you be staying behind?”
“Of course, Mother,” William said kindly. Nora looked up and met his gaze with a withering one of her own. He pretended not to notice.
The room cleared, almost as quickly as it had filled in the first place, and Nora found herself still standing with her hands crossed primly in front of her and her eyes looking anywhere but at Gerard. He broke the silence first, clearing his throat and stepping forward while William hung back near the mantle.
“Miss Pembroke, I hope that you will allow me to explain what must seem to you to be a most unexpected visit.”
“It is unexpected,” Nora answered, looking up at last. “I had some foreknowledge of a scheme of sorts between you and my brother, but I made it clear to William that I had no intention of going through with the matter, and so I cannot truly account for what reason would bring you here now to go through with said scheme against my wishes.”
William stepped forward. “Nora, you should at least –”
“William,” Gerard interjected, holding up a hand while still keeping his gaze on Nora’s face. “I appreciate you being here for the sake of propriety and the role of a chaperone, but aside from that I think it best if you allow your sister and I to carry on this conversation without your involvement.”
William shut his mouth and stepped back, taking a seat in the corner with a curt nod. Nora, momentarily encouraged to hear Gerard stand up for her, felt her heart beating as he gave her his full attention again.
“If William spoke to you already,” he said slowly, “then no doubt you are expecting me to ask you to enter into a courtship with me. I want to hear your thoughts on this, however. Don’t be afraid to speak candidly.”
A Baron Worth Loving: A Historical Regency Romance Book Page 7
