Caroline and Francis shared a pained look.
“Our parents made us come. Mama says I have been moping about the house ever since Eve and Freddie eloped. Which, of course, is true, but I still wasn’t keen on attending,” said Caroline.
Poor Francis, as a dutiful brother, had no doubt had been compelled by their parents to squire his sister. None of them wanted to be here. What a fun threesome they made.
“Misery does love company,” replied James.
“Speaking of which, I don’t see either Claire or Maggie here today. Did you abandon your sisters?” asked Caroline.
James pushed away from the side of the carriage. While Guy had dragged him from his bed, it was to James’s personal shame that he hadn’t asked either of his sisters if they wished to attend. Claire at least would be angry with him when she found out. Maggie would likely have declined any invitation made. James made a silent promise to offer them both an apology once he got home. “No, I didn’t bring them. I came with Guy Dannon. He has in mind to take up a career in politics and has decided he needs a wife. Apparently, he has found some poor chit who is prepared to accept him and all his failings,” he said.
“Chit? James, that is not the way to describe a young woman.” Caroline rolled her eyes at the use of the condescending word. Lord help the man who was foolish enough to describe Caroline as being a chit and dared to say it in her presence. He would soon learn just how razor sharp her tongue was as she cut him swiftly down to size. “Yes, Claire mentioned that he had set his marital sights on a friend of hers, Leah Shepherd. Do you know the girl well?”
James shook his head. “I barely know any of Claire’s friends beyond a quick hello and goodbye. She tends to smuggle them in and out the house to avoid our father. He always wants to ask visitors their opinions of his most recent Sunday sermon.”
Caroline and Francis exchanged a knowing look. All the Radley extended family had been the target of Hugh’s friendly, but in-depth questioning of his Sunday sermons at some point or another. It was never a comfortable conversation.
Francis finished the last of James’s cheroot and crushed the remains out with his boot. He straightened his jacket and turned to Caroline, who gave him a quick look-over before nodding her approval. She straightened his already immaculate cravat, then teased his hair so that it sat just right. James simply raked his fingers through his hair and left it at that.
Francis offered his sister his arm and turned to James. “Come on, dear cousin. Time, we went inside and faced the hordes. You cannot stay out here all afternoon skulking about.”
With a resigned sigh, James followed his cousins into the garden party. He licked his lips. Hangover or no, he would kill for a glass of whisky right now.
Chapter Three
The moment he stepped into the party James was quickly reminded why he avoided them. As expected, the place was a sea of besotted couples. Passing through the crowd, he soon lost count of the number of ‘darlings’, ‘sweethearts,’ and ‘dearests’ that he heard young men offer up to their female companions. When one nearby gentleman told his lady friend that her smile was brighter than the sun, he was tempted to turn on his heel and head for the garden gate.
“James! Over here.”
He turned and saw Guy waving to him.
His friend was standing in a section of the lawn which had been set up for a game of bowls. Beside him, but at an odd distance, stood a young woman dressed all in pink. From the proprietary way that Guy kept looking back to her, James deduced she must be Leah Shepherd.
“Here goes,” he muttered.
At first glance, Leah Shepherd cast an attractive silhouette. Not that he would have expected Guy to have chosen a frumpy young woman for his future bride. With her pale golden hair tied up in a loose chignon, and partially hidden by a pink bonnet, she appeared to be much like any other young woman of London society. Her matching pink gown, which was offset with white gloves, made for an attractive enough outfit.
James knew how the inner workings of the ton operated. Miss Shepherd’s outfit would have been put together with military precision. The right amount of innocence in the pink color of her gown, along with the fashionable cut of the bonnet, sent an exact message to all young men. She was in the market for a husband, but he had to be one who had enough blunt to be able to support a fashion-conscious young wife. Men without deep pockets need not apply.
Guy leaned in and spoke to her; the bonnet bobbed a touch. James made his way over, then waited for Guy to make formal introductions.
“Miss Leah Shepherd, may I introduce my closest friend, Mister James Radley. James is the son of the Bishop of London,” said Guy.
Leah lifted her head just enough for James to catch a glimpse of her face before she looked down again. “Thank you, Mister Dannon. As I have mentioned before, I know Mister Radley’s sister Claire. So, he and I have already met.”
James flinched at the curt remark, but Guy did not react. The brief peek of Leah’s face gave him no further clue as to whether he’d met her before or not.
“Miss Shepherd.” James bowed. He noted she did not offer him her hand, which was just a little rude. In fact, she barely nodded her acknowledgement of him; it left James wondering how his normally rational sister had managed to make this unpleasant girl her friend.
Oddly, Guy didn’t seem to either notice or care how Leah spoke to him or his friend. He appeared oblivious to his surroundings, almost as if he was an actor in a play just waiting for his cue to speak. He was going through the motions of courting Leah and nothing more.
“I was telling Miss Shepherd how wonderfully well you played lawn bowls,” said Guy.
James froze. He couldn’t recall the last time he had even picked up a lawn bowl let alone played the game. He frowned at Guy.
“Was that Miss Caroline Saunders I saw arriving with you just now? Perhaps we could make up a party of four and play a game,” offered Guy.
Caroline and Francis had cleverly, and somewhat opportunely, disappeared the moment Guy had waved his hand in James’s direction. James couldn’t blame them for having abandoned him. Both his cousins appeared to be as averse to spending time with other guests as he was.
“Maybe a little later,” he replied. Caroline would not thank him for asking her to come and play at lawn games. She would make him pay for it; of that he was certain.
“Well perhaps in the meantime I should get us some drinks. Miss Shepherd, would you like an orgeat?” said Guy.
James stifled a snort; just hearing Guy say the word orgeat hurt his ears. He would bet a pound that Guy had practiced the word on the journey over to Richmond.
“I would prefer a cup of tea, thank you, Mister Dannon,” replied Leah.
Guy trotted off in the direction of the refreshment table, leaving James and Leah alone. James puffed out his cheeks. He knew that as a gentleman, it was up to him to make an effort at small talk. “I cannot recall exactly when you and I have met before, but we must have,” he said.
She lifted her head, and he was graced with his first full look at her face. His gaze was immediately drawn to her blue eyes. Pale as the summer sky, they seemed to change to a darker hue as she moved her head in the sunlight. Gosh. A man could get lost in them.
Beneath those eyes was a soft, full mouth. Not perfect, mind you. It had a slight drop on one side. But that imperfection somehow seemed to make her even more attractive. How on earth could he have met her at another time and forgotten that lovely face or those enticing lips?
While those same lips were currently set in a straight, unimpressed line, he sensed that when the mood so took Leah, they would make for a heart-stopping smile.
What will it take to make you smile, Miss Shepherd?
Her mouth held the promise of tender kisses for the man who could find his way to her heart. James already had a sinking feeling that whoever that man was, it would never be Guy. Leah did not appear to be the least bit impressed with him, let alone behaving toward him in t
he manner expected of a future bride.
“I visited your family at Fulham Palace last spring. Your sister Claire had been ill, and I came to see her. You were recently returned from university, as I recall. We met only briefly, in the hallway as I was leaving. You were sitting on the stone flagging, patting your dog,” Leah replied.
Her recollection of a brief meeting many months ago took James by surprise. Claire had been ill for a number of weeks, during which time she had received only a handful of visitors. People tended to stay away from patients who were suffering from anything other than a minor cold, and with good reason. However, the mention of him sitting on the floor with the family dog gave James a clue as to why he could not remember Leah. He was more than likely still half-foxed from the night before and using King as a means to shield himself from his mother’s gaze.
“I must apologize. I had forgotten. It is nice to meet you again,” he said.
His being in a drunken stupor was the only explanation for not having registered his previous encounter with Leah Shepherd. If he had been sober, he would have remembered her. There was something about Leah that was unforgettable.
She leaned in close and whispered, “I think you may have been under the weather at the time, so your brain might have been a little fuzzy.”
A sharp whistle had them both turning and looking in the direction of the refreshment table. James frowned at the impolite way Guy had used to get his and Leah’s attention. Guy was pointing at a plate of cakes while other guests stared at him, disbelief written on their faces. Beside him stood Caroline and Francis. They were staring daggers in James’s direction.
“I think he wishes to know if you would like a cake, Miss Shepherd?” asked James.
When she replied. “No thank you,” James shook his head at Guy.
He turned back to Leah and their gazes met. Her lips barely moved, but he could see that she was trying to force a smile. It looked painful, and the end result was that she held it for the barest of moments before her face went back to its previous neutral expression.
“Guy has obviously taken an interest in you,” James said.
“Yes. He and my father have become quite close in recent times,” she replied.
They watched as Guy picked up two glasses and started back across the lawn toward them.
The penny dropped for James. Guy wasn’t courting Leah; he was courting her father. And both she and Guy knew it.
“Sorry, James, old chap, I couldn’t carry a third drink,” Guy said, upon his return.
James took one look at the cloudy concoction in the glass and was immediately grateful for that fact. Why people considered orgeat anything other than vile was beyond him. Going without was the better option. “You two enjoy.”
To James’s ongoing disquiet, Guy not only smiled but took a large sip of his drink. Leah took one look at the drink in her hand before setting it down untouched on a nearby garden table.
A sour-faced Caroline and Francis now appeared at his shoulder. Francis scowled at him, while Caroline looked fit to do murder. Guy had somehow managed to hunt down the Saunders siblings; there would be no escape for any of them.
“Miss Shepherd, may I introduce my cousins Caroline and Francis Saunders. Their mother, Lady Adelaide, is my paternal aunt,” said James.
Caroline held out a hand in greeting. “A pleasure to meet you, Leah. I do so love your dress. You look stunning. You must tell me where you buy your gloves.”
Francis gave a polite nod and added, “Charmed.”
James watched with interest as Guy looked from Caroline to Leah and the expression on his face turned from bewildered to understanding.
“Yes, Miss Shepherd, you do look most pleasing in your gown,” he said. His words sounded rehearsed and without care.
Leah matched his efforts with the tiniest nod. One blink and he would have missed it.
“Well since everyone is here, how about we set up for a game of bowls?” offered Guy.
“I shall sit this out, so you have an even number of players,” said Francis. He headed over to one of the nearby garden chairs and took a seat.
As Guy went and collected the bowls, Caroline leaned in close to James and whispered in his ear. “Guy tried to make me take a glass of orgeat, even after I told him I never drink the foul stuff; he was quite insistent. Francis had to get firm with him. He might be your friend, James, but he has appalling manners.”
James’s gaze fell on Leah’s untouched drink, and he recalled her having asked for a cup of tea in preference to it. Guy had obviously ignored her wishes too. He pursed his lips. If Guy was prepared to ride roughshod over the simple matter of a lady’s request for refreshments, they could all be in for a very long afternoon.
Chapter Four
Leah watched Guy out of the corner of her eye as he bent down and aimed his bowl at the jack. After tossing it, he trotted behind the bowl, urging it on, a soft smile on his lips. The man was a chameleon, shifting the look on his face from a smile to a frown and back again, depending on who was watching.
At first glance, he appeared to be nice. He was handsome enough, especially when he smiled. His family were of a suitable social standing. Her father approved of him, which for most young women would have been an encouraging sign. But it was the fact that her father did approve of Guy Dannon that filled Leah with a deep sense of unease.
On face value, he should have been everything a young woman would want in a husband. Every morning for the past two weeks she had got out of bed and tried to convince herself that she should be perfectly content with Guy courting her. That when Guy proposed, and she knew he eventually would, she would accept his hand in marriage. And every time she thought about it, she felt a dull ache in her heart. Because no matter how hard she tried, she could not bring herself to like Guy.
She had counselled herself that this was not an unknown aspect of many marriages, that she should count her blessings and be content with him. But she just couldn’t do it. When she looked at Guy, she saw her father. And knowing the misery that was her mother’s lot, she knew if she married Guy, she too would be miserable for the rest of her days.
Her mother had suggested she wear the bright pink and white ensemble today, telling her that she was certain Guy would think it pretty. Leah wasn’t so sure that men understood what the word pretty actually meant, but in the hope of avoiding yet another scolding from one of her parents, she’d gone along with it.
Guy’s sole mention of her attire so far this afternoon was to tell her that her gown looked pleasing, or something to that end. She was sure as certain that he had only made mention of her clothing because Caroline Saunders had paid her a compliment. From the expression on his face as he spoke, it was clear that he was reciting something he had practiced. The dull, glazed look in his eyes as he spoke informed her that she could have been wearing a sack cloth and he would have said the exact same thing. Who knew if he had given any real thought to what she was wearing?
Their courtship thus far had seen him come to her family home on three separate occasions. He would then spend exactly one hour with her, during which he would tell her how lovely she was, sip some tea, and then leave. It was almost as if he didn’t know how to converse with a young lady but had convinced himself that he could manage an hour of one-sided conversation in his attempt to woo her. On each and every visit to the Shepherd family home, he had never bothered asking her anything beyond questions about her health and how much butter she liked with her bread and cake.
She did, however, have her suspicions about Guy. She may be an innocent in the ways of love, but she was not a fool. Men such as Guy Dannon might behave as chameleons when it suited their purposes, but their reputations were not something they could change overnight. Leah was under no illusion about her potential husband; he was a rake. He was so much like her father, it made her feel ill.
“Huzzah!” Guy’s victory cry stirred Leah from her thoughts. When she saw that his bowl had finally stopped within
a foot or so of the jack, she politely applauded. Guy was cock-a-hoop with his efforts, proudly marching up and down between ends.
“Well played,” said James. He turned to Leah and smiled. “Miss Shepherd, I believe it is your turn. Good luck.”
She’d been immediately struck by James’s easy smile and warm nature. It was in sharp contrast to Guy, but her appreciation of him was tempered by the fact that he and Guy were close friends. It left her wary. She had a lifetime’s experience in dealing with duplicitous males; James Radley may just have been Guy Dannon in a different guise.
And just because he was the brother of a friend of hers, did not mean she would be lowering her guard with him any time soon.
She picked up her own bowl and walked to the front of the playing mat. Bending down, she delivered the bowl and let it run. She walked slowly behind it, remembering the lay of the green she had noted when they’d played from the other end. While the garden lawn appeared flat to the naked eye, it actually ran slightly downhill from left to right. It was a fraction of a slope, but it was enough to have Leah taking great care to not only ensure that the bowl landed in the right place, but that she put enough force into the throw.
When her bowl finally came to a halt, it was past Guy’s and therefore closer to the jack.
“Yes!” she cried, throwing her arms up in the air in unrestrained glee.
James laughed, while Caroline applauded with a pleasing amount of vigor. When Leah lifted her gaze to where Guy stood, she caught sight of him glaring hard at her bowl. The soft smile he normally wore in her company was gone. In its place was a look of stony displeasure.
A chill of premonition slid down her spine. She knew that look, had seen it a thousand times on her father’s face. It was the look of a man whom you did not cross. Lightness and humor were on display only when things were running their way, when it suited them. Silent, barely controlled rage was the order of the day when it was not. And when that fury was unleashed . . .
Two of a Kind Page 2
