by Abby Ayles
“I do think you are right. Our opinions may be biased, though. We do not think highly of him already.”
“Is it wrong for us to think the way we do?” she asked. She wanted desperately to keep the conversation going, just so she could hear him talk. The sound of his voice made her feel warm inside, no matter what he was saying. She would gladly sit and listen to him talk for hours without complaining.
He shrugged. “I do not suppose we can control our suspicions. They are not founded in nothing.”
“I am glad she is having a good time.” Lady Julia sounded defensive. Lady Annabelle looked at her.
“I apologize, Lady Julia, if we offended you,” she said. “I mean nothing by it. I am only concerned for her. I wish that I did not have a bad feeling about Lord Gilbert.”
Lady Julia nodded. “I know what you are thinking, Lady Annabelle. I know your intentions are good. You would not want Lady Joanna to be hurt.”
“No. I would not.”
“And I certainly would not encourage bad behavior, Lady Julia,” the Duke of Cardinal said. “I hope you are aware of that.”
Lady Julia nodded. Her eyes turned to the couple near the far end of the corner. They were leaning their heads toward each other, though their eyes were on Lord Leonard. Lord Gilbert said something that made Lady Joanna laugh.
Lady Annabelle was caught by the sound of the laughter. She had heard Lady Joanna laugh with joy before. This laugh was different. Her first thought was to point it out to the duke and get his opinion on it. But she kept her mouth shut before the words could come out.
It was Lady Joanna’s turn after Lord Leonard. When she moved to take over the lawn, Lord Leonard went to stand with Lord Gilbert instead of his partner. Lady Julia watched him walk to his brother. She looked at Lady Annabelle with a dejected look on her face.
“I guess I will go stand next to Lord Leonard since he is my partner.”
“You can stay here with us, Lady Julia,” Lady Annabelle said quickly. “You do not have to go over there if you do not want to. Has he been unkind to you at all?”
Lady Julia shook her head. “No, he has been a gentleman. But he does not speak and I feel uncomfortable standing with him without speaking.”
“Have you tried saying something first? Perhaps if you get the conversation started, he will have an easier time.” Lady Julia nodded at the Duke of Cardinal when he spoke.
“I have a few times. But he answers and does not contribute. Then, I am forced to come up with something else to say. It is tiresome and gives me a headache.”
“Then you should stay here with us,” Lady Annabelle insisted. “I do not want you to have a miserable time playing croquet. No one should have a miserable time playing croquet!”
Lady Julia laughed. “All right. I will stay here with the two of you. At least you contribute to the conversation.”
Lady Annabelle watched when the duke went to take his turn. Lady Joanna returned to her partner, who was in the middle of a conversation with his brother. Lord Leonard never seemed to have a problem talking to Lord Gilbert. They were often seen in deep discussion. But Lord Gilbert was the only one who Lord Leonard freely spoke to.
“The duke is good at this game,” Lady Julia said quietly, watching him line up his shot. “He would be a good rival for you.”
“I would rather he not be a rival,” Lady Annabelle giggled. “I do not want to be in competition with the man I…” she’d been about to say “love”. Her eyes widened and she put one hand over her mouth, gazing at her friend. Lady Julia just laughed.
“Oh, Lady Annabelle. I am terribly glad you told me how you felt. Oh, you must put him on your dance card!”
“I cannot feel this way so soon,” Lady Annabelle said, keeping her voice low. Her fingers fiddled with the handle of her croquet mallet nervously. “It is much too soon. I will scare him away. And if I do not scare him and he decides I am not the woman for him, I will be truly devastated.”
“He will not decide such a thing!” Lady Julia protested, frowning and shaking her head. “I never have heard such negative talk from you, Lady Annabelle. You know better than that.”
Lady Annabelle giggled again. “You do not think I should guard my heart?”
Lady Julia leaned toward her, aware that the duke had taken his turn and was heading back toward them. “I think it would be foolish not to.”
Lady Julia went to take her turn, passing the duke and giving him a wide smile, which he returned.
The two of them were finally alone again. Lady Annabelle was completely aware that he was standing next to her. She felt as if she could feel his body heat from where she was. She wanted to feel his arms around her and press her head against his chest to hear his heartbeat. Would it be racing like hers? She would surely faint if she felt the touch of his hand. She remembered fondly the first night they had met. Even though she had humiliated herself with her too-small shoes, she had been able to take his hand several times to steady herself getting in and out of the carriage.
The Duke of Cardinal was equally aware that the lovely lady was standing next to him. If he’d had his way, he would hold her hand in his for eternity. The urge to take her into his arms was stronger every day.
Mr. Covington would be arriving soon and their time would be cut short. Once he appraised the paintings and spent a few days of holiday in the little English city, he would be ready to go back to his life. He had many, many friends. The Duke of Cardinal had friends, too. But not as many as Mr. Covington. He was beginning to wonder if his life back home would be worth anything without Lady Annabelle there.
He cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say. Lady Julia’s turn would be over soon and she would return to them. They had precious little time together alone.
“The Duke of Norrend informed me there is an event coming up, a celebration of engagement, I believe.”
Lady Annabelle nodded. She had almost forgotten about that. It was a big event and would be held in one of the grand ballrooms in town. The ballroom looked like the inside of a great Scottish castle. One was expected to dress appropriately when attending a gala such as that.
“I am not sure I have the proper attire,” the duke said, hitting on her exact thought. “I may need some help in purchasing clothes for the event.”
“Will you be staying that long?” Lady Annabelle asked, looking up to meet his eyes. “I was under the impression you would be gone within a week.”
She did not want him to leave. If he was thinking of staying till the celebration, that meant he would be here for another ten days, at least. The thought brought a smile to her face. He caught the look and smiled back.
“I believe I will be staying longer than planned, Lady Annabelle.”
Chapter 14
Lady Joanna was excited that she had arrived in time to play a game or two of croquet. They were in for a bad storm, she could see by the clouds in the distance.
She’d thought about it all day and decided she would show interest in the talkative Balfour brother. It was clear to her that Lady Julia was not interested. And Lady Annabelle only had eyes for Duke Colbourn.
She was still burning from his rejection of her, even though it had come as expected. Lady Julia and Lady Annabelle were always in the spotlight. She had never minded until they blossomed into true beauties and she stayed the same, plain and ordinary.
Lord Gilbert Balfour was not the most attractive man. She thought he looked somewhat like a weasel. She had noticed mannerisms that matched that thought. But he was kind to her and treated her with respect every time they met. She liked that.
She was delighted to be standing next to him as they played the game. He made small talk, telling her about his life in the country where he and his brother had grown up.
Their family owned a farm. From the sound of it, their father, despite being an earl, was not a wealthy man. He had no business sense and often got his family in severe financial trouble because of deals that went bad
. He invested in things that had no value and seemed to attract thieves and scandalous individuals at every turn.
But it made little difference to Lord Gilbert, he told Lady Joanna. He and his brother were resilient and smart.
“Your brother does not speak often,” she observed, watching as Lord Leonard lined up his shot. “I always wonder about people who are as quiet as he is. What is he thinking? What is going through his mind?”
“Lord Leonard is very intelligent,” Lord Gilbert said. “But in the past, he has… excluded himself by saying things that others think are odd.”
Lady Joanna gazed at Lord Gilbert curiously. “What do you mean?”
Lord Gilbert hesitated before answering her. “He has a way of putting things that people do not understand. He does try to be social but, in his mind, he is always somewhere else.”
Lady Joanna looked at the tall muscular man leaning over to hit his ball through the hoop. “I suppose I know how it feels to be somewhere else in a room filled with people. I have felt like that often.”
“You should never feel that way, Lady Joanna. You are a brilliant woman, I can see it in your eyes. You have much to say. You should not hold back.”
Lady Joanna looked at him, surprise written on her face. “You do not know me, my lord, yet you compliment my intelligence?”
“It is not just your intelligence I can complement,” Lord Gilbert replied with a sly grin. “You are beautiful, as well. Just as beautiful as your sister and your friend there. You must know this to be true.”
Lady Joanna glanced at Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia, who were standing with the duke, talking amongst themselves. It looked to her like her sister was not as happy as she would like to be.
The Duke of Cardinal and Lady Annabelle were doing most of the talking while Lady Julia watched Lord Leonard play his turn. “I have not been told that,” she admitted. “I have always thought of my sister and Lady Annabelle as much more attractive than myself.”
Lord Gilbert scowled at her, though his eyes were filled with amusement. “I am astounded, dear lady, that you would not think of yourself more highly. What has caused such trauma? No. Do not answer that.”
He looked away from her dramatically, staring at the darkening sky above. “This is not the time for sad stories. I promise you, I will find out what it is that has caused you to feel so melancholy. But for now, I must make you laugh. I must see you smile. Smile for me, dear lady, if you wish.”
Lady Joanna’s smile was wide and genuine. Lord Gilbert lifted his mallet when his brother walked toward him. “That was a good shot, brother! I am impressed.”
Lord Leonard nodded. “Thank you, Gil. I have not played in some time.”
“You were always good at this game.”
“Did you ask the lady about the artwork?”
Lord Gilbert’s face changed for a moment, darkening like the sky above. Then he recovered and smiled at Lady Joanna. “I have not yet had the chance.”
Lady Joanna stared at them both. Artwork? She knew very little about the artwork in the storage room. “If you are speaking of the paintings the duke has come to look at, I know very little about them. You would have to ask Lady Annabelle. She is the one who knows about them. Not me.”
“We will ask her,” Lord Gilbert said in a conspiratorial voice. “But I would rather find out what I can from you. Perhaps you can ask her about them for us?”
Lady Joanna did not want to ask Lady Annabelle about the paintings. She wished she already knew something to tell them. “Well, perhaps I might be able to answer a few questions. What is it you wanted to know?”
Throughout the rest of the game, Lady Joanna answered basic questions about the paintings. She knew more than she thought, based on the reactions of the Balfour brothers. She knew where they were kept and how many there were, approximately. She knew the names of the most famous ones and was keenly aware of the prices her father was asking.
“How is it that you know all of this and can still claim to know so little?” Lord Gilbert asked at one point. The look on his face was so pleased, Lady Joanna could not help feeling happy with herself. She had not had to make up a single thing. She knew all the answers. And Lord Gilbert made her feel extremely special for that.
“I do not know. I suppose I should have asked you what you wanted to know before I assumed I did not have the answers.”
Lord Gilbert leaned closer to her, enough to take her breath away. “I suspect that is something you do often, my dear. You assume you are lesser than. You should not treat yourself with such disrespect.”
Lady Joanna had heard those words from others. But when Lord Gilbert said it, it seemed to make a difference. It was as though she was actually hearing them for the first time.
She nodded, unsure what to say in reply. He laughed. “What will it take for me to make you smile, Lady Joanna? I do not see pretty smiles so often as I have since I came to visit this lovely home.”
“This is not my home,” Lady Joanna instinctively replied. He shook his head.
“I beg to differ, my lady. These people treat you as one of their own. I have seen it myself. You should consider this your second home, if anything.”
“I suppose you are correct, my lord. I spoke out of turn.”
He shook his head. “You must not apologize. I hope you are having a good time with us.”
She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling and nodding. “I am, Lord Balfour, thank you so much.”
“I believe it was you who chose me to be your partner.” He said the words as he walked toward his ball, which was off to the side and nowhere near where it needed to be.
He did a little dance around it and pretended to whack it but missed it with a wide swing. Lady Joanna laughed. She heard her sister and the others laughing, too, and looked at them.
They were standing at the top of the lawn, where the croquet equipment was. It seemed to be their favorite spot to stand. As if they would suddenly need to switch mallets or balls. Lady Annabelle turned her eyes and they met. The girl smiled and lifted one hand to wave.
Lady Joanna waved back, returning the smile. She was not feeling amiable towards Lady Annabelle at the moment. Lady Annabelle was always getting what she wanted.
She had the fancy home, the perfect parents, the astonishingly good looks. She was a diamond amongst coal. Her resentment toward the young woman was not new.
Soon after their brother died and the earl realized his wife had gone into a catatonic depression, he sent the girls to stay with the Cartwrights for a few months. The few months had grown into several years of the girls going back and forth between the homes.
There was no nurturing for them at either place, not in a motherly way, and Lady Joanna had suffered greatly because of it. She was sensitive in nature and needed only to be cared for.
Duchess Cartwright was not a nurturing mother. She was hard-nosed and strict. She insisted on everything being absolutely perfect when it was nearly impossible for things to actually be that way.
When Lord Gilbert complimented her, she was filled with a fresh warm feeling. She wanted more of that. And she would do whatever he wanted if he continued doing it.
The storm was approaching quickly. She could tell by the scent in the air, the crispness of the breeze that blew through the leaves of the trees around them and the sudden cool air that swept past them. “I do not think we will have time to finish this game,” she said.
“It was fun playing, though,” Lord Gilbert said.
“Come along, come along!” Lady Annabelle began yelling to them, waving her hand. “The rain is coming!”
Lady Joanna tried to keep the unfriendly look from crossing her face. She knew the rain was coming. Lady Annabelle did not need to tell her. She looked at Lord Gilbert, who was watching her face closely. He knew what she was thinking. She could feel it.
“You are going to be quite an asset, Lady Joanna,” he said, brushing up close to her as he passed with his croqu
et mallet. “You must hurry now. Sweet ladies will melt in the rain, so I hear.”
Lady Joanna grinned, though she was curious about his comment about her being an asset. What would she be an asset to him for? She had a feeling it had to do with the paintings. He had peppered her with questions while they played. His interest in them was deeper than he had let on at first.
She did not care why he was interested in the paintings. She was glad that he was giving her attention. She hurried to be just behind him as they made their way up the hillside to the front porch. She dropped her croquet mallet with the others as she passed. They did not have the time to put them away properly. It was not the first time the equipment had been left out in the rain. It would not be the last time.