True Nobility

by Lori Bates Wright

  Tori was determined that Zachery would indeed notice her young cousin. And as for Nicholas … she’d make certain he understood she wasn’t interested in adding to his collection of discarded women.

  The offices of Haverwood Shipping and Trade were quiet yet Nicholas had trouble concentrating on his records. Once again, the figures in front of him melded into deep azure pools until he tossed the pen to his desk.

  He’d made an extreme effort to distance himself from Victoria. It had been a challenge while they were still on the ship because he’d pledged to guard her. He knew she considered his lack of attention an outright snub, but he could see in her eyes what Zach had warned him of. So he’d backed off.

  It was better she understood from the start of their visit to Savannah that he was not available for long-term commitment. Nicholas had decided it was easier for all involved to leave them to themselves once they set down. From now on, he wanted a workable business relationship with the earl, but Victoria was on her own.

  They were an ocean away from any danger now. No more mishaps since they’d pushed off from England’s shore. Besides, once Mrs. Charlotte began circulating the earl and his daughter, she would forget all about him.

  “Mr. Nicholas, I brought a note for you.” Jonas appeared in the doorway, holding out an envelope.

  “Bring it here, Jonas. Who’s it from?” Nicholas came around to the front of the heavy oak desk and leaned on the edge. He took the message and broke the seal.

  “Mrs. Charlotte Haverwood said to see you and Mr. Zachery both get one.” He stood by, while Nicholas pulled the card from its pocket, scanning the contents. “Bad news, sir?”

  “Dinner invitation.” Nicholas reached for his pen and ink. “Take a note back with our regrets.”

  “I don’t see as how I blame you. ’Specially after what all that pretty little gal stayin’ over there done said about you.”

  Jonas turned to leave when Nicholas’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “What exactly did the little gal say, Jonas?” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the answer.

  “She, ah, she … Well, sir, I believe she said you was weak in the head.”

  Nicholas’s mouth fell open before curling into a slow grin. “Go on.”

  “And I believe she also said you was a coward, too.”

  Nicholas’s brow rose as amazement brightened his spirits. He fought to keep from laughing out loud.

  “For some reason, she thinks you are scared of her. I ain’t never seen you scared of nothin’. Surely not of no little snip of a girl like that.”

  “Afraid of her?” Nicholas roared in amusement.

  Jonas nodded, then shook his gray head all in one motion.

  Zach came up the stairs, catching the tail end of the exchange. “Who’s scared of what?” “No one.” Nicholas started for the door, turning Zach around by the arm as he passed. “Come on. We have to change.”

  “Where are we going?” Zach hurried to keep up with Nicholas.

  “To dinner. At the Haverwood’s.”

  Saying nothing, sometimes says the most.

  ~ Emily Dickenson

  Seven

  “Girls!” Tori startled at the shrill summons that came from the stairway. “Our guests have arrived. Mustn’t keep them waiting.”

  “Oh my.” Aurora’s hand flew to her small bosom. “I don’t know if I can do this. Look, my palms are wringing wet and my stomach just flip-flopped.” Her eyes pressed shut, then opened. “What if I can’t think of anything to say? What if I turn mute again?”

  “Then say nothing until it passes.” Tori handed Aurora her shawl with a confident nod. “Smile that adorable smile of yours. When you feel ready, you’ll contribute just fine. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, simply catch my attention and I shall try to cover for you.”

  “I suppose I could do that.” Aurora placed the wrap around her shoulders.

  The two had spent all afternoon poring over Godey’s latest fashion plates, delving into Aurora’s wardrobe trying to find the right look for her. Gowns were considered, then discarded until every available space was strewn with the samplings.

  After much deliberation, Aurora finally settled on a dusky pink gown of sateen, high-necked and bordered with white lace. Tiny rosebuds were woven throughout her pale locks which were carefully pinned atop her head. The final effect was stunning.

  Tori guided the younger girl down the hallway. “Let’s just consider this your first step toward an invitation to the Hermitage Soirée.”

  Aurora nodded, nibbling on a nail.

  Reaching for the girl’s hand, Tori brought it down to her side. “How can we impress our dear Mr. Saberton with your musical talents, if your fingers are nibbled to the bone?”

  As they started down the winding stairway, Tori smoothed her own gown with a careful hand. She had chosen an elegant silk of shimmering gold, with deep blue laurel leaves embroidered across the scoop-necked bodice. The wide hem flowed lightly over her blue slippers.

  The Saberton brothers stood near the open windows. Nicholas moved when the cousins entered the room, offering each one an arm.

  “Might I say you ladies look lovely this evening?” His low, smooth voice never failed to take her breath. She chose to forgo taking his arm for the sake of her composure.

  “You might,” Tori smiled but just barely, deciding to disregard his dismissal of them earlier.

  Nicholas smiled back at her as he seated Aurora on the garish settee. Something about the gleam in his eye caused Tori to believe he was enjoying this entirely too much.

  “A pleasure to see you again, Victoria. I’m glad you were able to get along without me this afternoon.”

  Jonas had apparently filled him in on her remarks. Good. It still irked her that he had all but dumped them the minute the ship set ground. “The ride over was extremely pleasant. Jonas was a wonderful guide.”

  Nicholas made a comment to his brother over his shoulder, yet loud enough for all to hear. “Exquisite beauty. And so clever, don’t you think? Indeed a rare find.”

  Zach held up a hand to show a neutral position.

  “Enough to frighten an average man half to death.” His eyes met hers and his voice dropped to a velvet huskiness. “However, never make the mistake of confusing me with your average man.”

  Tori tried to appear unaffected by his bold assertion as she settled into the seat next to her cousin. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she made a concentrated effort to smooth her skirts around her.

  Nicholas chuckled as he took a chair. “How fortunate we are, Zach, to have the honor of dining with three of the fairest flowers in all Savannah.” He flashed a handsome grin as Tori rolled her eyes at his trite compliment.

  Charlotte Haverwood squealed with delight and dissolved into a flurry of fan waving. “Nicholas Saberton, behave yourself, you scamp. You oughtn’t fill these girls’ heads with all that nonsense of yours. You always were the charmer. Why, you got yourself out of more trouble when you were a boy with that silver-edged tongue of yours. Gabe, go and tell Edward he’s holding up dinner. I can’t imagine for the life of me what could be taking him so long.”

  Aunt Charlotte was barely finished when the earl entered the room.

  “Can’t one see to his dress in peace and quiet without you chirping about it? For goodness sake, Charlotte, calm yourself.”

  Apparently her father had not finished his nap and Charlotte was the closest to take it out on. He twitched his mustache as he passed her by.

  Aunt Charlotte made a face at his testiness and continued to wave her fan.

  Zach turned the conversation to Aurora. “I understand you made your big social debut this month.” He smiled as a blush glowed in her cheeks. “I’m sorry I missed it. It’s hard to believe that the same scrawny brat who used to throw pecans at me from the top of a tree is now about to take society by storm.”

  “Indeed, she has grown up, Zachery. Quite nicely, wouldn’t you say?” Tori answered for her
when she saw Aurora’s mouth moving, yet no words were coming out. “Did you know that she is an accomplished musician as well?”

  Nicholas raised a brow at her, which she chose to ignore. Let him think what he would. She was determined to have this evening go well for Aurora.

  “Well, now that you mention it, I do recall that you play an instrument. Harp, isn’t it? Could we persuade you to play something for us later?” Zach smiled at her and by all indications he seemed genuinely interested.

  Aurora nodded, while Tori and Aunt Charlotte watched the exchange with a sense of accomplishment.

  “Mrs. Charlotte, dinner is all set whenever you all is ready,” Gabe announced from the doorway.

  “Wonderful. Aurora, sweet, see that your guests are properly seated. Come along now, Edward, let’s get you fed. You’ll feel more like yourself once you’ve tasted Flossie’s round of beef.” Aunt Charlotte took her brother-in-law by the arm and led him to the dining area.

  “How about a truce, princess, before you skewer me with that sharp look?” Nicholas held out his hand to Tori.

  Aurora had already latched on to Zachery and silently implored her cousin to relent.

  Tori didn’t have the heart to spoil the evening for Aurora. She had no choice but to concede. She took Nicholas’s arm instead of the hand he offered and gave a look that promised it was far from over between them.

  He lifted her hand from off his arm and up to his smiling lips to promise the same.

  Aurora seated Zachery next to herself. Nicholas and Tori sat directly across from them, with Aunt Charlotte and the earl at each end.

  “Mmm. Smells delicious, Mrs. Charlotte.” Zach looked over the steaming dishes.

  “As much as I’d love to take credit, Zach darlin’, this was after all Aurora’s menu. She makes a fine little hostess, don’t you think?”

  “Well, then, Miss Aurora, I have you to thank. I haven’t seen a meal like this in months. Tibbs keeps us alive, but that’s about the extent of it.”

  “Humph! If the man had his way, we’d all be dead.” The earl sniffed.

  Placing her napkin on her lap, Tori admonished herself to get through the evening with grace and dignity. Then she caught Nicholas smiling down at her with a genuinely sweet expression and her resolve went out the window. She smiled back in spite of herself and he held her gaze for a moment longer than was considered proper.

  The two of them received questioning glances all around.

  “Shall we say grace?” Aunt Charlotte bowed her head.

  The earl’s voice interrupted. “Isn’t it the custom, if I recall correctly, that you people normally clasp the hand next to you while offering grace?”

  Tori closed her eyes as Nicholas took her hand.

  The prayer went on and on until Tori was sure the woman had thanked the Good Lord and all twelve of His disciples for every blessing known to man. Chancing a peek at Nicholas, she found him still smiling at her.

  Finally, when everyone said their amens, Tori tried to retrieve her fingers from his grasp, but he continued to hold them tight.

  She decided she must go about this differently. There was more than one way around a headstrong male. “Nicholas, I rather need my hand, just now. It makes it easier to eat, you understand. You may hold it again later, if you wish.”

  He narrowed his eyes for a moment before releasing her hand.

  “Thank you, Nicholas.” She smiled at him demurely, lifting her fork and knife.

  “You shouldn’t play coy.” He took the serving fork from a platter offered at his right and placed a large slice of beef onto his plate. “You’re no good at it.”

  “I most certainly am.” Tori was grateful that everyone else at the table seemed to be involved in their own conversations. “Besides, I don’t know what you are referring to.”

  “What I am referring to, Victoria, is that you are as transparent as glass. You’re no good at hiding your opinion, but insist on trying to anyway.”

  Tori blinked as she considered his words.

  “What would be so hard about telling me to shove off if that’s what you mean?” His voice was quiet. “Believe it or not, you’ve already said as much with your eyes, so it doesn’t matter whether you say it aloud or not.”

  “A lady would never express such rudeness. Thinking and saying are two very different matters. It’s what keeps this world civilized, after all.” Silence fell between them for a brief moment until Tori cocked her head and asked what she had been wanting to ask him all evening. “Why must you challenge me at every turn?”

  When she caught Aunt Charlotte’s questioning glimpse, she took a bite to show appreciation for the fine meal.

  “Because, if you remember, I’ve seen you ‘flustered.’ It was highly entertaining.”

  Her fork froze halfway to her lips.

  “Now, which of the two of us is a coward?” He casually cut his food with a knife, as if they were discussing the weather. “I’d say, sweetheart, I’m daring enough to say what I mean. And at the moment that has you terrified.”

  Tori nearly choked.

  “Here now! Take a drink, my dear. She’s forgotten one must chew real meat.” Lord Haverwood motioned for Tori’s water goblet to be refilled.

  “Oh! I’m terribly sorry.” Tori dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “I’m afraid I must pay more attention to what I am doing and less to the conversation.” She avoided Nicholas’s grin and gave her cousin a weak smile.

  Tori pushed the food around her plate, hoping to give the appearance of having an appetite and thankful Nicholas let the matter drop.

  After dinner, the men adjourned to the library, while the ladies went to the drawing room to wait for them.

  Nicholas’s advice lingered in Tori’s thoughts and she had difficulty concentrating on her needlepoint. The things he suggested were completely foreign to her.

  Didn’t he realize that in restraining herself, she was only practicing the most polished of manners? Proper ladies of good breeding always did so. Why, to do otherwise, would be exceedingly brash.

  Though it hardly seemed fair, women had to find other, more discriminating, ways of expressing themselves.

  Poking her finger for the third time with her sewing needle, Tori put the piece aside and quietly sipped her sweet apple cider. She couldn’t understand what Nicholas expected of her. He couldn’t possibly be familiar with the ways of the gentry, being American and all. Nevertheless, he felt at ease offering her advice on how she should behave. He was most exasperating.

  “What should I do now, Tori? I think Zach has finally noticed I’m more than a silly child” Aurora was on the edge of her seat, too enthused to work on her quilting square. “I’ve got to somehow win him over and show I’m interested in him.”

  Aunt Charlotte clapped her hands together. “I knew it! I knew it! I was sure there was some sparking goin’ on between you two. Oh goodness gracious me, my sweet, sweet baby has her very first beau.” She made a flagrant display of pulling the lace hanky from her sleeve and swiping at her eyes, before resting the wrinkled cloth to her trembling mouth.

  “Mother, please.” Aurora rewarded her mother’s dramatic show with an impatient roll of her eyes. “I’ll never get him to ask me to the Hermitage Soirée if we scare him off. Tori says we need to be subtle about these things. Isn’t that right, Tori?”

  “Well, yes, actually. I imagine the less you say on the subject, the better off you’ll be.”

  “What do you mean?” Aurora asked.

  Aunt Charlotte nodded, setting her own patchwork aside.

  “I mean you must use indirect actions to show Zachery you find him fascinating. Once you’ve engaged his interest, gently lead him toward the subject of the soirée. He will think it was all his own idea, mind you, and you won’t appear as having been too forward.”

  Thank goodness Zachery was the more predictable brother. Such a plan would never work on Nicholas.

  “I still don’t understand what you mean abou
t indirect actions.” Aurora stood and came to sit next to Tori. “Can you give me an example?”

  Aunt Charlotte chimed in, “Well, she means like propping pillows up behind him and kneeling adoringly at his feet. Hanging on dearly to every word he says. Don’t you, sugar?”

  “Heaven’s, no! He is a grown man, after all. What I’m suggesting is more of a fine flirtation. Perhaps a faint fluttering of the eyelashes. And, if he says something amusing, give him a tender smile. Nothing too eager and certainly nothing too provocative.”

  Seeing that they were still perplexed, Tori chose another example.

  “Picture the Mona Lisa. Men have found her most intriguing for hundreds of years, and all she really does is just sit there and sort of…smile. Like this.” Tori illustrated with a quaint imitation of da Vinci’s masterpiece. “That’s all a man wants. An ear to listen and a smile showing your approval.”

  “Oh, Tori, that’s brilliant!” Aurora jumped up and spun around. “It isn’t what I say at all. It’s all in the way I react to what he says.”

  “Exactly.” Tori folded her hands in her lap, pleased they finally seemed to be getting somewhere.

  “Shh. They’re coming. Aurora, honey, do sit down. Mercy sakes.” Aunt Charlotte nervously wound her embroidery floss into a mess.

  Tori was glad for the chance to tutor her cousin in the fine art of flirtation. She’d been anxious to try it out since reading all about it in her favorite magazine. It couldn’t possibly go wrong.

  Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow.

  ~ Sarah Josepha Hale

  Eight

  “May we join you, ladies?” Zach came directly over to stand beside Aurora and she flushed.

  Nicholas and Lord Haverwood entered the room preoccupied in conversation. Something about labor costs and embargo taxes or some such drivel. They barely acknowledged the presence of anyone else in the room.