An Inconvenient Arrangement: Rose Room Rogues ~ Book Three

by Callie Hutton

  “Do you know if the stables will be made available to the guests?” she asked.

  Mr. Williams spoke up. “Yes. That was mentioned.”

  Lydia loved to ride, but there were few places in Town that she could do so. There was always Rotten Row in Hyde Park, but ladies generally rode in carriages there, or strolled. Few rode horses and if they did, it was at such a sedate pace it didn’t seem worth her while.

  She made plans to visit the stables after tea and see which horse she would like to ride.

  A female gasp and murmering caught her attention. “He did come,” she heard someone whisper. She didn’t have to turn around to know Dante had arrived.

  Damn him for being so elusive that everywhere he went he caused a scene. That, combined with his known charm and good looks would again have the women heading in his direction.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Sanford.” Dante’s deep voice rolled over her as he took the seat alongside her, sitting sideways on the chair so he faced her.

  She nodded and held out her hand. “Mr. Rose. A pleasure.”

  To her annoyance, he laughed. Didn’t the man know how to behave in Polite Society? Even though they had appeared together at various events, they were not betrothed, so a certain amount of formality must be preserved.

  “I agree, Miss Sanford. It is always a pleasure to see you.”

  Lydia glanced over at Miss Evermore and Mr. Williams who both sat gaping at them. “Mr. Rose, may I present Miss Evermore and her betrothed, Mr. Williams.”

  Dante nodded. “Williams. Miss Evermore, a pleasure.”

  The couple nodded and mumbled a greeting.

  “I am a bit hungry. Walk with me while I fill my plate,” he said, noticing her plate was empty.

  They strolled to the table, being stopped by friends and the usual ladies looking for Dante’s attention. He was polite to everyone, but kept her arm linked with his as they made their way across the patio.

  “The Ambassador’s carriage was just arriving as I walked to the front door.” Dante let go of her arm and began to fill a plate. “I have high hopes that we will be able to single out his contact here. With five days for them to connect and spend time together, we should be able to finish this assignment.”

  The disappointment that always overwhelmed her when thinking of their assignment ending felt as though a cloud passed over the sun. She hated to admit it, but she enjoyed Dante’s company. He was funny, charming, thoughtful, and kissed like no one she’d ever kissed before.

  But then, didn’t all the ladies think so? He would most likely return to his rakish ways once they said their goodbyes.

  Well, she had a fine, happy life before she ever laid eyes on Mr. Dante Rose, and she would continue to have one after he was gone.

  Maybe.

  Dante found it bit disconcerting that when he stepped onto the patio his eyes quickly sought out Lydia. Like a magnet, he focused immediately on her sitting with another couple.

  Before he could be stopped by other guests, he strolled to the table and took the chair next to her. Each time he saw her, it was if he was seeing her for the first time. Lydia was a beautiful woman, but her beauty also shone from within, with intelligence, wit, and courage.

  After he’d lost control in the carriage on the way to the club after the musicale, he’d decided to have one of his employees escort her home. That he didn’t trust himself alone with her almost amused him. He had never lost control with a woman.

  They walked back to the table that Miss Evermore and Mr. Williams had vacated and took their seats. Within seconds Lady Emmaline and Miss Thompson slid into the chairs. “I hear there will be boats available tomorrow afternoon. I hope you don’t disappoint me again, Dante. I do love a ride on the lake.” Lady Emmaline offered what he was sure she thought was a sultry look. Instead, she looked desperate.

  “I doubt very much if you will be disappointed, my lady. There are many gentlemen here who I am sure would be more than happy to take you out in a boat.”

  She leaned closer, pressing her body next to his. Why the devil did women wear those cloying scents that had his nose tickling as if he needed to sneeze? She pouted, looking rather silly, actually. “But I had hoped you would take me out in the boat.”

  There seemed to be no reason to deny her, except he would have preferred to row Lydia out onto the lake and maybe find a quiet spot to . . . “Yes, my lady,” he rushed out, “I would be happy to row a boat for you.”

  He glanced guiltily at Lydia, which was ridiculous since they had no attachment. They’d made it seem so for purposes of being together to work on the assignment.

  Then why did he feel as though he was doing something wrong?

  Lady Emmaline preened and looked over at Lydia with glee. Women. They could be so pleasurable and at the same time so annoying.

  “How lovely, Lady Emmaline. I am sure you will thoroughly enjoy your boat ride. I, on the other hand prefer to ride horses,” Lydia said.

  Dante took the clue. “Miss Sanford, may I ask that you permit me to escort you on a ride in the morning? From what I understand Lord Battenberg has an impressive stable.”

  “That would be wonderful. Perhaps when we are finished here, we can take a stroll to the stables and look the animals over.”

  “An excellent idea.”

  “Greetings, my lady.” The Ambassador’s booming voice reached them. Dante turned to see the man speaking with Lady Battenberg by himself. No companion this time. He glanced over at Lydia who raised her brows. Perhaps the companion was to arrive after him.

  Or perhaps the companion they’d been watching was not their man at all.

  11

  “I feel rather silly, the way I’ve been following the Ambassador around. Clearly he must think I’ve developed a tendre for him,” Lydia groused as she and Dante walked their horses out of the stable for their early ride.

  It was the morning of the third day of the house party. So far they’d learned nothing, except the Ambassador had an eye for the ladies, and enjoyed his food and spirits. Lydia had tried to be circumspect in her observance of the Ambassador, but she feared it was becoming obvious that she was seeking him out.

  “I have hopes for today. With all of us traveling to the village to do a bit of sight-seeing and a stop at the local inn for lunch, we might have a better chance of learning something.” Dante helped Lydia onto her horse, and then threw his leg over his mount, leading them away from the stable and out into the countryside.

  As was their habit, once free of the confines of the immediate property, they raced over the extensive grounds. Lydia loved the freedom of riding in the country. Rarely did she keep her hat on no matter how many pins she used to anchor it to her head. Then the tidy knot at the back of her head came loose and her hair flew behind her like a banner.

  Side-by-side they grinned at each other as they flew over the land. They made three jumps in succession and then drew their horses up, with Lydia, Dante and the two horses all gulping for air.

  So far the house party had been nothing but a series of frustrations. Lydia had spent the past two days watching Dante try his best to avoid the women looking for a tête-à-tête, while she attempted to sidle up to the Ambassador and hear his conversations without looking obvious. The man had begun to regard her in a strange way and she had the horrible feeling he might show up at her bedchamber door one night in his dressing gown with a bottle of wine in his hand.

  To add to her troubles, she’d tried her best to keep her distance from Dante unless they were mingling with other guests. The temptation to encourage the attraction between them had become too strong. By far the best time of the day had been when they were riding. Together, but separate.

  She leaned on the pommel and regarded him. “You seem to be enjoying our rides every morning. I thought you were a confirmed Town man.”

  Dante grinned at her. “True. I have rarely had a reason to spend time in the country. My father’s estate, which went to Hunt along with the tit
le, is only a three-hour drive from London, but with managing the club, I never have a chance to visit.”

  “Is the Rose Room as busy after the Season ends when most peers escape the heat of London and retire to their estates?” Lydia slowly turned her horse to take a slower walk back to the stables.

  “It does slow down. That is generally the time Driscoll and I are able to take a few days off. I hadn’t thought much about it, but maybe this year I will join Hunt and Diana in the country for a spell.” He paused for a moment. “What about you? Do you retire to the country when the Season ends?”

  “My father does. Most times I join him, unless I’m visiting friends’ homes outside of London.” Lydia took a deep breath, enjoying the air. Perhaps she would join her father and trek to the country after the Season ended.

  Then she wouldn’t see Dante.

  Why had that foolish thought entered her brain? She’d known practically nothing about the man before they started this assignment, yet she was concerned about not seeing him once the assignment ended?

  She glanced over at him as they made their return to the stables. There was no denying it. Like most of the ladies of London, she had fallen under Mr. Dante Rose’s spell.

  Curse the man.

  * * *

  The guests had all gathered in front of the estate to await the carriages for the trek into the village. There were three that would carry the ladies to the village, while the men, except for a couple of the older gentlemen, rode their horses.

  There was a festive air about the group. A visit to the local village was always the highlight of a house party. That and shuffling between bedchambers once the guests had retired for the night. Lydia couldn’t help but wonder how many women Dante had to chase away from his door.

  Her stomach knotted. Unless he hadn’t chased them away. However, she sniffed, what Dante did at night once they were all retired was certainly no business of hers.

  As if thinking of the man conjured him up like a magician, Dante rode his horse over to where she stood with two other ladies. “Good morning, Mr. Rose. I’m so glad you’re joining us on a trip to the village.” Lady Emmaline actually tittered. Lydia rolled her eyes.

  “It’s a fine day for a trip.” Dante looked up at the bright blue sky with only a few fluffy clouds floating by.

  “I agree. It will be lovely to have a nice long stroll before we meet everyone for lunch at the inn,” Lady Emmaline said.

  Just then a carriage pulled up. Dante tugged on the brim of his hat and smiled. “I will see you ladies in the village.”

  They watched him ride off, Lady Emmaline sighing. “He is so very handsome. And such a reputation.” She shook her head, looking as if she hoped he would use that bad reputation on her.

  Lydia hoped she didn’t look as silly as the other women as she, too, watched him ride off. His back straight, his muscular thighs grasping the horse’s sides. He sat a horse so well, just like everything else he did. Including kissing.

  The women climbed into the large, comfortable carriage. Lydia was joined by Miss Evermore, Lady Louisa, Lady Cambridge and her daughter, Miss Susan. The door no sooner closed when Mrs. Martin came hurrying down the path waving her arm. “Wait.”

  Lydia had to laugh. Mrs. Martin was a sweet woman but seemed to have a hard time keeping herself organized. She climbed into their carriage, out of breath, with her hat askew. “Oh, my. I tried very hard to be on time, but I couldn’t find the shoes I wanted to wear with this outfit.”

  “Mrs. Martin, it would do you well to hire a lady’s maid. I can’t imagine trying to keep track of all my things without Maisie,” Lady Cambridge said.

  “I share a lady’s maid with my sister, Anne who lives with me. Her name is Marie, but she stayed home with my sister who needs her more than I do.” Mrs. Martin turned to Lydia. “My sister is not well. That’s why she stayed home.” She leaned in close to her ear and whispered. “She likes her spirits.”

  It was obvious the other ladies tried their best to hear what Mrs. Martin said, but she whispered low enough. Lydia was a bit uncomfortable since whispering while in company was the worst of manners. She sighed and looked out the window, hoping the ride to the village was not long.

  Miss Evermore kept the other ladies busy with passing along all the gossip she seemed to know, that no one else did. The time went by with a great deal of ‘oh, no’ and ‘goodness’ and ‘the poor girl’. All of it said with glee since the women were only too happy to learn something that hopefully their other friends did not know. Gossip was the ladies of the ton’s favorite pastime.

  Perhaps that was another reason Lydia had been feeling a bit lost recently. As if she no longer belonged. Maybe dealing cards at the club that one night had shown her another world, and for a short, exciting period of time, she’d been part of it.

  The carriage stopped at the village center where numerous stands had been set up with goods for display. “I wonder if it is like this all the time, or if we are lucky enough to be here on market day,” Mrs. Martin asked.

  Shops that lined the village green also had wares for sale on tables in front of the stores. Lydia’s spirits picked up. “I shall have so much fun going through the vendors.”

  They all climbed from the carriages, the men having ridden to the stables, arriving ahead of them. They walked back across the green toward the women. Dante walked directly up to her. “Miss Sanford, may I escort you around the green?”

  “Yes, thank you.” She took his arm and they walked off to the sound of the women behind them whispering. Honestly, ‘twas becoming quite annoying. “How do you stand all the attention you get?” She was afraid her words came out quite harsh.

  Dante raised his brows. “Now you know why I avoid these events. I like my work, I like the social life I have devised for myself, and I want nothing to do with Polite Society. And given my birth, I am quite sure Polite Society wants nothing to do with me.”

  “I never did understand that. If you were born on the wrong side of the blanket, why does that disparage you? You had nothing to do with it.”

  “Ah, you must ask that question of Polite Society one day. But not on my behalf,” he added.

  They walked up to an older woman standing behind a table full of sweet- smelling soaps. “I believe I’m growing just as weary of the Season as you are,” Lydia replied as she picked up one of the soaps and smelled it. Smiling at the woman, she said, “This is wonderful. Can you wrap up four of them for me?”

  “All the same scent, my lady, or different ones?”

  “Oh, let’s be daring today. Wrap up four different ones.”

  Once she had her soaps in hand, Dante took her by the arm, and they continued to browse the tables. As they strolled away from a woman selling ribbons, Lydia said, “Do you feel as though this house party was a waste of time in finding any information on the Ambassador?”

  “Yes.” Dante nodded. “I’m beginning to think this entire assignment is a waste of time. The only contact we’ve seen the Ambassador make that looked in the least bit suspicious was the man who you’ve determined is merely a friend looking for a comrade to speak about how wonderful their country is compared to England.”

  Just as he finished his words, the Ambassador walked out of one of the stores along the village green. Dante immediately moved her in the direction of the store. “Let’s see what he bought in there.”

  The small shop was a bakery with wonderful aromas coming from within. Lydia strolled up to the counter and spoke in German, complimenting the woman behind the counter on the lovely shop.

  When the woman appeared confused, Dante took over and asked if she had lemon tarts for sale. When she pointed to a tray of luscious looking tarts of all sorts, Dante asked for two lemon and took out coins from his pocket and paid her.

  Once they were outside, Lydia turned to him. “It was a gamble that she knew German, but I thought if she did, that would have increased our chances of her being his contact.”

  Dante smil
ed. “I figured that was what you were doing. But these lemon tarts smell wonderful. What say we wander over to the bench there near the water and eat them?” He waved to an area set aside for relaxation. Three stone benches sat in a circle with a huge oak tree in the middle of the arrangement. Not far from the benches was a small stream.

  “A fine idea, Mr. Rose. My mouth is watering already in anticipation.”

  Dante steered Lydia to the stone bench, and they sat. He unwrapped the tarts and handed one to her.

  Lydia inhaled deeply. “They smell divine.” She took a bite and closed her eyes and moaned. Dante almost dropped his tart watching her. She looked like a woman in the throes of passion.

  “Um, don’t do that.” His voice was raspy.

  She opened her eyes. “Do what?”

  He waved his lemon tart at her. “That. What you just did.”

  “I took a bite of my tart.” She looked at him with confusion.

  “Never mind. It’s my problem, not yours,” he mumbled. And it truly was his problem. He had tried to stay as far away from Lydia during the house party that he could without compromising their investigation. He didn’t think it was his imagination that Lydia was avoiding him as well. They functioned together quite well in groups, but they both seemed to be avoiding being alone, except for their morning rides.

  Damned if he didn’t feel an attraction to her so strong that he’d passed up a number of offers to join him in his bedchamber from women who at one time would have had him jumping for joy. The thought of holding any woman except Lydia in his arms left him cold.

  The worst part had been the dreams he’d endured since they’d arrived at the house party. If Lydia uncovered looked as good as she did in his dreams he would never want to leave the bed once he got her there.

  Except he had no intention of getting her anywhere near his bed. Despite all her talk of independence and sophistication, given her upbringing, she would expect an offer of marriage if they did succumb to their temptation. She might protest that wasn’t so, but he knew she would regret it and end the little bit of friendship they had.