by Abby Ayles
She enjoyed the fact that Lord Gilbert was looking over his shoulder to make sure she was coming up behind him. She pulled up her skirts so her feet would not get tangled in the fabric as she went up. At the stairs, she saw the first large drop of rain pelt down in front of her. Lord Gilbert reached back and grabbed her upper arm, pulling her along with him. Excitement jolted through her at his touch.
The six young people spilled into the foyer of the house just as a crack of lightning split the darkened sky and the roll of thunder rumbled above them.
Lord Gilbert was the last one in, closing the door behind him and leaning back against it. “I think we barely made it.”
“A little rain is not going to kill anyone,” Lady Annabelle laughed, taking off her gloves and hat. “But I am glad we got in just in time.”
Lord Gilbert moved away from the door as Duchess Cartwright came from the parlor.
“Look at you all! What a disgrace! Lady Annabelle, you must go up and change immediately.”
“I did not get caught in the rain, Mother. I do not need to change.”
“You have been out in the sun before that. You should refresh yourself and prepare for dinner. Lady Joanna, Lady Julia, you go along as well. Gentlemen, I am sure the duke would like to see you in the parlor.”
“I believe I will also change my clothes, Your Grace,” the Duke of Cardinal said, bowing to her. “Thank you for the suggestion.”
The girls and the duke went up the stairs quickly, hoping to get away from the wrathful look of Duchess Cartwright.
Chapter 15
Lady Annabelle was the first one to rejoin the group in the parlor. The Balfour brothers had taken down the deck of cards and were flipping them over, playing some unknown game they must have made up themselves.
Every few minutes, one would rejoice and gather all the cards on the table for himself. She turned to the window, where her father was standing. He seemed lost in thought.
She tilted her head to the side, curious about what he was thinking. She crossed the room on quiet feet and came up next to him, her eyes looking out over the landscape.
“What are you looking at, Father?” she asked in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb his peace but too curious not to ask.
He glanced at her, a soft look in his eyes. “Nothing… and everything.”
She looked at him. “I do not understand.”
He pulled in a deep breath and let out a knowing sigh. “I know, my dear. You may think of that as a good thing. This land we see when we look out this window, such a beauty to behold, do you not agree?”
She looked at the lawn, the rolling stream, the sculpted trees, the flowers… she was always amazed by the breathtaking beauty. “I do agree, Father. It is magnificent.”
He smiled. “That is everything. That is the ‘everything’ I meant. The ‘nothing’ is what I was really seeing. This… in here…” He tapped his forehead.
She turned her eyes and blinked at him for a moment. “Are you all right, Father?” His behavior was confusing.
He nodded, giving her a sad look. “I am fine. But I have come to realize that my daughter is not my child anymore. I will soon lose you to the man who will care for you for the rest of your life. I am sad to think about it. But happy that you will be taken care of.”
For a moment, Lady Annabelle was sure he was talking about an arranged marriage. A jolt of fear split through her. Her mind raced. Could he and the reverend have been talking about her and one of the Balfour brothers? It could even be Duke Colbourn but could she be so lucky?
Her father saw her tense up and raised his eyebrows. “My dear, you look terrified. What have I said?”
“You seem quite certain I will be married soon. Do you… have you…”
A smile crossed her father’s face. She knew him well and could see how badly he wanted to tease her. He chuckled and shook his head. “My dear, I have nothing arranged for you. You must not trust my judgment. Oh, Lady Annabelle!” He could not help laughing, which made her crack a smile.
“You scared me, Father.”
He pulled her into a hug, still laughing.
Lady Annabelle pressed her cheek against his jacket, breathing in the scent of his musky cologne. It was a smell she always associated with him and would long after he was gone. She would recognize it for the rest of her life.
He released her when the Duke of Cardinal came into the room. He gave her a smile, grasping both of her shoulders before turning to Duke Colbourn.
“Good afternoon, my lord. I see you escaped the rain,” the Duke of Cardinal said, bowing at the waist. “You are looking well today.”
“It is good to see you. Come and have a drink with me. I would love to talk to you about your colleague. When will he be coming?”
“I thought he would be here today but this storm may have delayed his progress. I do expect him at any time.” As he was talking, Duke Colbourn moved his eyes to Lady Annabelle and tilted his head in her direction.
She smiled at him. She kept her eyes on his, taking in the look he was giving her, drinking it like water. She was sure she saw his attraction to her. She was certain her own showed on her face.
She turned back to the window, barely able to drag her eyes away from him. If she stayed where she was, there was a good chance he would be distracted from talking to her father and that would show to be disrespectful.
She heard their voices fade as they moved away from her. Lady Julia was taking a long time changing. Lady Annabelle was a little aggravated with her. She did not need to look fancy. They weren’t going to a ball.
As she waited, Lady Annabelle thought about her father’s behavior. He had been spending his time split between Duke Colbourn and Reverend Stovington. Since he dispelled any thought that he might be attempting to arrange a marriage for her, she knew he had to be talking about the duke.
Her stomach rolled over a little and she pressed one hand against it. They were talking about her. The thought of it made her a bit uneasy. She pulled in and let out a shaky breath.
Was that something that men did? Lady Annabelle had always had her doubts. She had never caught her father in a conversation about relationships or emotions, unless it had something to do with business or political discussions. And even then, it would be something short and to the point.
She looked over her shoulder, scanning the room. Lady Julia had yet to come in. Her father was standing in front of the fireplace with the Duke of Cardinal. Their talk did not look serious. Both men were nodding a lot and gesturing with their hands. As she watched, the door opened and Lady Julia came in.
She spun around and waved at her friend. “Come here!” she hissed. Lady Julia gave her a wide-eyed look and crossed the room, nodding and smiling at the Balfour brothers as she went. She lost her smile as she got closer to Lady Annabelle.
“What in heaven’s name? Are you all right? You look quite flushed!”
“I am all right,” Lady Annabelle reassured her, flapping one hand in front of her face to cool off her burning cheeks. She hadn’t realized she was blushing until Lady Julia mentioned it. “I have just had the strangest time with my father. I must tell you about it!”
Lady Julia looked back at the men. Lady Annabelle tapped her quite violently on the arm. “Do not look at them! They will know I am talking about them!”
Lady Julia turned back quickly, staring up at Lady Annabelle. “My goodness, you must calm yourself. Why, you need to sit down. Come with me. We will sit away from the fireplace. There… over there by the window. You need some fresh air.”
They moved quickly past the furnishings to reach the two chairs facing each other at an angle. In between was a small window with a crank that could be opened to let in the fresh air. Lady Julia set Lady Annabelle down in one of the chairs before she took the other one and pulled her small handbag around to her lap. She unsnapped the top and pulled a small hand fan from its depths.
She snapped the fan open and handed it to Lady Annabell
e. “Here. Use this.”
Lady Annabelle fanned her face for a few minutes. “Oh, Lady Julia. I must tell you. I must…”
“Slow down and breathe for a moment,” Lady Julia said. “Nothing is so important that you cannot give yourself a few moments to calm down.”
Lady Annabelle did not think she was going to calm down. It was not something that had happened and was now over with. She was going to think about this for a long time. “My father… he and Duke Colbourn have been talking about me.”
Lady Julia raised her eyebrows. “Do men talk about women like that? Would a father talk about his daughter to another man?”
“If that man is interested in courting his daughter, I would say the answer is yes.” Lady Annabelle scanned her friend’s face. “Do you not agree?”
Lady Julia sat up straight in the chair and looked serious. “I suppose I would agree with that. And how do you know that they have been talking about you?”
“When I came down, Father gave me a hug. He was talking about how I would be leaving soon, that I would be married soon.”
The same look of fear that had to have been hers flooded Lady Julia’s face. Lady Annabelle shook her head. “He did not arrange a marriage for me. That was also my first thought. But he reassured me it is not the case.”
“Thank the stars.” Lady Julia’s relief was obvious. She blew out a puff of air she had sucked in.
“Yes. But the only men that have been at my home have been the Balfour brothers and Duke Colbourn. I do not believe my father would ever see me with either of the Balfours.”
Lady Julia shook her head. “I agree. He does not have bad judgment.”
Lady Annabelle smiled at the words, so similar to what her father had said.
“If they have been talking about you, it can only be to ask for permission to court you. What else would men have to talk about?”
Lady Annabelle laughed. “I cannot think of a thing they would have to say. What would he ask? If I have a favorite flower?”
Lady Julia gave Lady Annabelle a doubtful look. “Would the Duke of Norrend even know that?”
They continued to laugh. “I do not know! I will have to ask him!”
“Do not go to any extra lengths on my account, my dear.”
The Balfour brothers began calling their names, much to their dismay. They stood up with smiles and walked to the table where they were seated.
“You are both looking lovely this evening,” Lord Gilbert said.
“Yes,” Lord Leonard said. Both Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia struggled not to show their surprise. It was disrespectful to stare at someone when they speak, even if it was because they rarely said anything at all. They smiled at both young men.
“Thank you both kindly,” Lady Julia replied for both of them. “Are you enjoying your game?”
“We were but Lord Leonard does not take kindly to losing. I do not know why he still plays against me.”
Lord Leonard looked at him. “It is the perfect question, brother. Perhaps I will not play anymore.”
Lord Gilbert nodded. He looked at both the women from one to the other and back again. “He says that every time we play.”
Lady Julia and Lady Annabelle did not know whether they were supposed to laugh or not. It was a joke at Lord Leonard’s expense. They simultaneously lifted one hand to cover their mouths, where they would give a giggle-choke and clear their throats. Having used exactly the same motions, the girls looked at each other with big smiles.
“I am willing to bet you could not do that again if you tried to,” Lord Gilbert said, sharing their amusement. “Would you like to play a card game with us? Or perhaps some Cribbage? I know you do like Cribbage.”
“I suppose a quick game of Whist would be nice if you are interested,” Lady Julia said, stepping over to an open chair and sitting down, her eyes on the table in front of her.
Lady Annabelle reluctantly sat down opposite her. She was not in the mood for the game but if it was what they wanted to do, she would go along. How bad could it be?
She was not fond of Whist and rarely played it. Lady Julia was better than she, so having her as a teammate helped Lady Annabelle a little. But her mood soured when she was near the Balfour brothers. There was something about them that made her skin crawl with goosebumps.
Lord Leonard was more forthcoming, more open than he had been for the past day or two. He said a few words every now and then. Lady Annabelle suspected Lord Gilbert told him to open up or he would not be accepted by society.
What he had to contribute was usually worthwhile but so far, Lady Annabelle suspected she would not recognize his voice if she heard it in a crowd.
“I wonder,” Lord Gilbert said in a voice that got Lady Annabelle’s attention, though his eyes were on Lady Julia. “Where is your sister Lady Joanna? I was hoping to continue our conversation from earlier out on the lawn.”
“I am sure she will be down directly,” Lady Julia said, staring at Lord Gilbert’s face. Lady Annabelle could see her analyzing him. “She always takes longer than we do when there is company.”
Chapter 16
Lady Annabelle had to excuse herself after a few games. The men stood up when she scooted her chair back, bowing at the waist. She told Lady Julia it was unnecessary for her to leave the game because of her.
“It is not as much fun without you, Lady Annabelle,” Lady Julia pouted for a moment. She grinned and waved Lady Annabelle away. “I am teasing you. Go and talk to others. We are always together anyway. Perhaps I am tired of looking at you… oh no! I did not mean that! I love your face!”
The quick turnaround Lady Julia displayed made Lady Annabelle laugh. “You are a silly goose.”
She turned to walk to the other side of the room, where her mother and Lady Cecilia were seated. They both looked up as she approached. Lady Cecilia’s eyes widened when Lady Annabelle sat next to her mother on the settee and leaned close so that her shoulder was touching her mother’s.
“That is a beautiful… thing you are knitting, Mother,” she said softly. She scanned it, trying to figure out what it was going to be but it was in the beginning stages.
The duchess looked somewhat surprised and Lady Annabelle did not blame her. She was not often affectionate with her mother. The woman seemed as hard on the inside as she was on the outside.
If Lady Annabelle was not completely certain her mother was only trying to do what she thought was right, she might have been resentful. But her affection came from her father the majority of the time.
The duchess held out the knitted fabric in front of her and turned it from side to side. “It is… it is a blanket I am making for a friend who is to give birth soon. Does it not look like a blanket? Have I gotten the stitches wrong?”
Before her mother tore out all the stitches she had done so far and started over, Lady Annabelle hurried to say, “It does, it looks perfect, Mother. There is not a thing wrong with it at all. Is that not right, Lady Cecilia?” Lady Annabelle gave her sister a pleading look. Lady Cecilia grinned.
“Of course it is a blanket. The stitches are perfect as always, Mother. You need not worry at all. Your friend will adore it.”
“I do hope so.” Lady Annabelle was amazed by the strength she always heard in her mother’s voice, even when she was speaking low.
“Mother, may I ask you a question?” Lady Annabelle asked, leaning forward and looking up at her mother’s face. The duchess looked drawn and worried. It was a look Lady Annabelle was used to but just now felt sorry for. Her mother was strung so tightly, she was not able to relax.
“You may,” the woman replied.
“Father said earlier that he has realized I will be getting married soon. I… I think he is right, Mother. I will be getting married soon.”
The duchess raised her eyebrows, giving her the same look Lady Cecilia was. It was obvious they were mother and daughter at that moment. Lady Annabelle looked from one to the other.
“You may have notic
ed that there have been men around the house lately?” Lady Annabelle asked, trying to make it obvious who she was talking about.
“How can you be sure of such a thing?” Lady Cecilia was the one to ask the question. She looked like she thought Lady Annabelle was about to make a terrible mistake. Lady Annabelle frowned at her.
“Why do you react this way? Has it not been obvious that I have been spending some time with Duke Colbourn?”