Celeste thought that her entire being might explode into a million pieces at his words.
“You—you don’t mean that.”
“I don’t?”
“Well, it’s just… I’m just… I mean, compared to Lady Venetia…”
“Venetia is beautiful, it’s true,” Oliver said. “She is poised, has all the decorum in the world, and would make many a man a fine wife. But—” He ran his hands over her arms, which had become exposed when her cloak had fallen off, she realized belatedly — it had likely happened when he had spun her around. “She is not you. Lady Venetia would never be out here with me as I attempt to find a planet that only I and perhaps three others currently believe exists. She would not care whether others may have originally thought it a star. The only thing she might actually care about is whether or not I was the first to discover it, and whether that would come with any fame or recognition.”
“I see,” Celeste murmured. “That is quite sad.”
“So it is,” he said, drawing closer to her once more. “I don’t want that to be my life, Celeste. I want a life where, when I make such a discovery or something worth celebrating comes to my life, that I am as excited by the event as I am by who is beside me to share in it with me. For this would never have meant anything near what it does with you here.”
“You’re really going to break it off?” she asked, finally allowing the small bubble of hope she had been suppressing for so long to begin to rise.
“I will,” he said with a firm nod. “I have to.”
With that, Celeste jumped back into his arms and raised her face to him once more. When she was but a breath from his lips, she stopped suddenly.
“Can anyone see us?” she asked, looking around her at the houses in the distance.
“No,” he said with a laugh. “We are hidden by the trees, and even if someone were to pass by this way, it is too dark. The lantern is only strong enough to illuminate the pages below it. It certainly isn’t proper, but—”
“I don’t care,” she said, her lips curling into a smile. “I am going to do this once more anyway.” She pressed her lips against his, though while he kissed her back again, his lacked the same pressure and insistence as it had before.
She leaned back. “Now you’re thinking about Venetia, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t have much of a care in no longer being with her. It’s the actual breaking it off part — having to sit there in a room with her and tell her that I do not want her, in addition to facing her parents. Her father will likely try to cast me out from society.”
He tilted his head. “Hmm, perhaps this is not such a bad idea after all.”
She swatted his arm at his jest, and he chuckled.
“Not to worry, Celeste, all will be well,” he said reassuringly. “You just wait and see.”
Oliver was speaking the truth when he had told Celeste he had to break it off with Venetia. He not only had betrayed her twice now, but how could he ever marry one woman when his heart was with another? He couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair — to anyone, most especially to Venetia.
He thought back to last night as he mounted the stairs to Lady Venetia’s parents’ townhome, the home of Lord Andrington. He had to consciously suppress the smile that arose every time he thought of Celeste — the very reason he was doing this. She would make this momentary awkwardness worth it, he told himself. She would even be worth it if he was practically ostracized from society. A little voice at the back of his mind told him it was a good thing that his father wasn’t here to offer his opinion, but he silenced it as quickly as he could.
The butler greeted him, and immediately asked him to follow him into the drawing room. That was strange, Oliver thought. Wouldn’t he have to announce him first?
When he opened the drawing room door for him, however, his questions were answered.
“Lord Essex,” the butler intoned, and familiar faces looked up at him — some far more familiar than others, with varying expressions upon them.
“Oh, Lord Essex, how lovely of you to join us,” Venetia said, rising from her place on the sofa to greet him. She held a hand out to him, which he bent over, bringing it to his lips for a kiss as expected. “I had no idea you would be here. Why didn’t you accompany your mother and sister?”
Oliver’s gaze swept past Venetia.
“Lovely to see you,” he finally managed, his hoarse tone causing his mother to look at him suspiciously, while Alice was already near grinning.
“Had we known you were planning a visit, Oliver,” his mother said, “then we could have come here together.”
“Yes, well…” Oliver began, unsure of what to say to all of them gathered here together. “It was a… last-minute visit.”
“Well, it’s good you’re here,” Venetia said, patting the space on the sofa between her seat and her mother’s. “You can now help us.”
“Help you?”
“Why yes,” she said, gesturing in front of her, and belatedly he noticed the papers and scraps of fabric in front of them. “We are making plans for the wedding.”
“Oh,” he said weakly, looking at the four women sitting there, all of them wearing expressions of eager anticipation — even Alice, although Oliver suspected she had different motives than the rest of the ladies. The gleam in her eye told him that she was aware he had no desire to make wedding plans. He just wasn’t sure how far her knowledge extended. “I, ah, I actually came to speak with Lady Venetia.”
“I’m sure there is nothing that you and I would speak of that those closest to us could not also hear,” Venetia said, looking up at him from her place on the sofa from underneath her lashes, and Oliver had the feeling that somehow she knew just what his intention was here today — though how she could, he had no idea. He had told no one but Celeste, and she wouldn’t have told a soul.
“Very well,” he said, looking down at his hands, taking a deep breath. Then he raised his head, and his eyes caught his mother’s. Her gaze was one of admiration, of affection that only a parent can feel for a child. She had a hopeful look, the same one she had worn when he told her that he would finally agree and that he would marry, in order to provide her with the grandchild — and hopefully heir — she had wanted for so long.
He couldn’t take her stare anymore, and so he moved his gaze over to Venetia’s mother. Lady Andrington wore a similarly expectant look.
“I… I, ah,” he began, clearing his throat once more. “I would like to wear a red waistcoat, if that is all right with you?”
A satisfied smile spread out upon Venetia’s face, as though he had faced a test and had passed it.
“Of course,” she said with a nod of her head. “Thank you for bringing this to us.”
Alice strode toward him in a flurry of skirts once the other women returned to their discussion. Her expression was the only one that was not entirely pleased.
“Oliver, I have an inkling of just what brought you here this afternoon,” she whispered when she reached him. “And I certainly don’t believe it was wedding planning.”
Was everyone aware of his intentions? “It was, ah, wedding related,” he managed, and she looked at him with some chagrin.
“Oh, Ollie,” she said, shaking her head. “You are in trouble.”
Yes, he most certainly was.
16
“I have much to tell you,” Celeste said, rushing into Rebecca’s drawing room and sitting down amidst her friends, who had all placed their tea on the table or in their laps at her pronouncement. She took a breath as she clutched her bonnet, nearly crushing it in her excitement.
“Well?” Jemima said, fanning her hands out in front of her. “What is it, then?”
“It’s Lord Essex,” she said, hardly able to get his name out. She knew she shouldn’t be saying anything — not until his engagement was certainly broken off, and not until he had claimed the discovery of the planet. But she trusted th
ese women more than she trusted anyone, even more so than her own family — well, especially more so than her own family, when it came to some of them.
“What about Lord Essex?” Jemima said, obviously nearing the end of her patience.
“He—that is we…” What to tell them first?
“We found the planet we have been looking for,” she began, as that would lead to the second part of her story.
“You what?” Freddie gasped. While her friends were not particularly well-versed on astronomy, Celeste had told them enough over the past couple of years that they now understood more than most women — or men.
Celeste told them about their discovery, about how her own work in mapping the orbit of George’s Star as well as consulting Oliver’s latest star maps and their calculations together had resulted in them correctly determining the location.
“Can you imagine?” she said, incredulous all over again. “It was there the whole time, and everyone missed it.”
“Imagine that,” Jemima murmured, to which Celeste nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “And then, when we found it, we were so caught up in the excitement, we… well…”
“You what?” It was Rebecca now leaning forward and prodding her along.
“We kissed.”
They all audibly gasped at her pronouncement, and Celeste held up a hand to stall what would likely be their ensuing questions.
“Before you say anything, he is breaking it off with Lady Venetia,” she said quickly. “Then we can be together — truly be together.”
“My word,” Rebecca said, her eyes wide.
Celeste looked around at their astonished faces — all but Jemima, who had already known of Celeste’s feelings regarding the man.
“Say something,” she begged them, and finally Rebecca stood and walked over, placing a hand on her arm.
“If anyone knows what it is like to fall for someone I should have stayed away from, it is I,” she said with a small smile. “I wish both of you all of the happiness in the world.”
“Thank you,” she said, as the other two began to nod, sharing in Rebecca’s words, though Jemima still looked worried.
“What is it?” Celeste asked.
“It’s only…” Jemima said, pressing her lips together, “I do hope that it all works out, Celeste.”
“Why would you say that?” Celeste demanded. “I thought you were happy for me — that you were encouraging the two of us. I will admit that the incredulity of him turning down a woman like Venetia for me has crossed my mind a time or two, but he seems to actually want to be with me — something I never thought quite possible.”
“Anyone would be more than lucky to have you,” Jemima said, shaking her head at Celeste’s words. “It’s just… I’ve been thinking more about it since we last spoke. Lady Venetia is from an influential family, and his betrothal to her was already well set in place. To break it off would cause quite the stir. I hope he is as true as you think he is.”
“He is,” Celeste said, nodding her head resolutely. “He has to be.”
“That’s good,” Jemima said, but then remained silent for a moment.
“What is it?” Celeste said.
“Nothing.”
“Jemima, I know when you are holding something back, and you are certainly doing so right now.”
Jemima looked down at her hands, before returning her gaze to Celeste. “It’s only… the timing seems rather too good to be true. That he suddenly wants to be with you, to the extent that he is breaking things off with a woman who does make sense for him to marry, all matters of the heart aside, at the same time that he so desperately needs your help.”
“Jemima!” Celeste exclaimed, shocked that her friend would think such a thing. “Just when did you become so cynical?”
“I’m sure she didn’t mean—” Freddie began, but Jemima held up a hand to stop her defense.
“I did mean it, though. I know it sounds positively awful, but I am only looking out for your best interests, Celeste. I love you like a sister, and I want to make sure that you don’t get hurt.”
Celeste stood. She had listened to Jemima for long enough.
“The only reason the timing seems convenient is my own fault — because of my brother and the lengths he was willing to go to in order to spy on Oliver, and gain access to his knowledge and his telescope. I am the one who has been lying to Oliver. I am the one in the wrong.”
“Yes, but you never had any intention of actually doing so.”
“No, but that still doesn’t make it right.” Celeste took a deep breath. “I should go.”
“Oh, Celeste, do not leave, please,” Jemima said, standing along with her. “I’ll say nothing more of it.”
“Yes, but I know now what you think of him — and of me, that I would be so stupid as to allow a man to play with my emotions like that, to use me for ulterior motives.” She looked at Rebecca and Freddie, who watched them with sad expressions on their faces. “I’m sorry to have ruined your visit. I shall see you soon.”
And with that, she left, before they could offer any additional ridiculous well-meaning yet empty platitudes.
“Oh, Oliver, I am so glad to see you!”
Oliver opened his arms as Celeste rushed into his study. In truth, he was equal parts glad and hesitant to see her. He would always be happy to be in her presence, but he was also worried about how he was going to tell her that he hadn’t done the one thing she had ever asked of him, the one thing necessary for the two of them to be together.
All because he had been too afraid of a trio of women.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, as the scent of jasmine filled his nostrils.
“Nothing,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and drawing him close, her sweetness nearly overwhelming him. “Nothing at all, now that I am here with you.”
He leaned back and pressed a kiss against her temple, fighting down all of the base urges within him to take her lips and kiss her further. Somehow in the dark of night, outside with only the moon and the stars for light, there had been nothing wrong with it. But today, with the sun shining in through the windows, her maid or any of his servants liable to walk in at any moment — in addition to the fact that he was still very much engaged — it didn’t seem right.
“Is your family well?” he asked, returning to the present.
“They are fine,” she said, stepping back away from him and uncharacteristically wandering about the room, trailing her fingers over the window sill. “It is actually my friends — one of them in particular.”
“Oh?” He cocked an eyebrow.
“She feels that, perhaps, the timing was rather fortuitous for you and I to get together, that you are using me for the help I am bringing you in regard to our discovery.”
Oliver’s breath caught at her words. It certainly wasn’t the case — not at all — yet, he could see why someone might see it that way. He also wasn’t entirely pleased that she had confided in her friends.
“Celeste—”
“Not to worry,” she said, turning around rapidly and catching him in her green-eyed stare. “I made it quite clear that what you and I have together has nothing at all to do with our work. And that, in fact, what we feel for one another is strong enough that you broke off your engagement with Venetia.”
“Yes,” Oliver said, clasping his hands behind his back. “About that—”
“It seemed to mollify her, Oliver.” She walked toward him once again, lifting her hands to his face. “I know that it couldn’t have been easy. And while a part of me can still hardly believe that you would actually choose to be with me over a woman like Lady Venetia, the fact that you actually went ahead and said something to her makes all of the difference in the world. Thank you, Oliver. Thank you so much.”
She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly against his, causing a thrill of desire to shoot through him from where they touched. He should push her gently away, should tell her exactly w
hat had happened, that things were not quite as clear as she might currently think.
But she tasted so good, and her faith in him had been so high, so obviously important to her. He still had plenty of time to talk to Venetia. He would get this all straightened out, and Celeste never needed to know that he had failed in his initial attempt. He had no intentions of being dishonest with her, but he also couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in her eyes when she realized that he hadn’t done as he was supposed to do, as he had promised her he would.
He had to lift her and set her away from him — they couldn’t do this here — but he smiled at her instead.
“Where is your maid?” he asked.
“That is a fair question,” she said, mischievousness in her eyes. “Where is your butler?”
He sighed. “Likely together somewhere.”
“Shall we go find them?”
“We do have a fair bit of work to do in preparing this submission and finalizing everything.”
“We’ll get to it, I promise,” she said. “But wouldn’t it be fun — just for a moment — to consider someone else’s romance?”
“You’ve talked me into it,” he said dramatically. “Lead on.”
“It’s your house!” she protested. “Where would you go if you wanted to have an assignation with a woman?”
“I’m not sure,” he said dryly, “for I very much would like to do so myself.”
She laughed. “Well, then, it shouldn’t be particularly difficult to extend your imagination.”
“Probably the second parlor, the one rarely used,” he said, giving in.
“Let’s go,” she said, and, unable to refuse anything she asked of him, he followed along.
17
“Have you been enjoying our visits to Lord Essex’s house?” Celeste asked her maid as they settled into the carriage for the short ride home.
Discovering the Baron (The Bluestocking Scandals Book 3) Page 11