How to Climb a Lady’s Tower

by Wolf, Bree

  “Is he not the man who spilled his drink on Lord Coleridge a little while back?” Caroline asked, and Rebecca felt her cousin’s gaze shift and settle on her face.

  A slight grin curled her lips upward, and she could not deny that the change of topic suited her. “He is, indeed,” Rebecca whispered as her heart did another little somersault when the man’s gaze once more returned to her. “He’s that American heir people keep whispering about.”

  “Lord Pembroke?” Caroline asked as she pushed her glasses higher onto her nose.

  It was a gesture that reminded Rebecca of her uncle, and a slight shudder gripped her at the unpleasant reminder of who else lingered somewhere on these premises. “Yes, him.”

  “Were you not once acquainted with the late Lord Pembroke’s daughter?”

  Rebecca nodded, surprised how frequently her thoughts drifted to Eugenie lately. “I was. I think it’s been about two years since I last saw her.”

  Caroline blinked, and her blue eyes softened. “You miss her.”

  Rebecca shrugged. “I suppose I do. I was thinking I might go visit her.”

  “Father will never allow it,” Caroline pointed out before her eyes became distant in that way they did whenever her mind was hard at work. “Perhaps you should not ask him.”

  Rebecca laughed. “I do like how your mind works, dear cousin. It often makes me wonder what other well-hidden things pass through it without anyone noticing.”

  And there it was again, that slight pause before Caroline dropped her gaze as though she’d been caught. It was only a split second, but it made Rebecca wonder. Clearly, there was more to her cousin than met the eye!

  “He is a curiosity, is he not?” Caroline said, no doubt to distract Rebecca from any possible observations that could lead to unwanted questions.

  Rebecca chuckled. “I suppose he is. People seem equally displeased and intrigued. If his father had not left for America and dared to become a success in the iron industry, I believe no one would have batted an eye.”

  Caroline frowned. “How do you know all this?”

  “I have ears, don’t I?” Shaking her head, Rebecca smiled. “It’s all people talk about. Behind his back, of course.”

  Her cousin nodded knowingly. “They’ll look past these aspects soon enough. I’ve heard he’s had his ancestral home restored to its former glory. People might be cautious still, but they’re curious as well.” Her eyes shifted from the dashing, young American with the charming smile to Rebecca, a teasing spark lurking behind her thick spectacles. “Before long, all the matrons will be pushing their daughters into his path, fighting for his attention.”

  Rebecca chuckled despite the knot that seemed to twist in her stomach. “Perhaps he ought to consider returning to America. He might be safer there.” Still, it would be a loss to see him go, Rebecca realized. A great loss!

  Caroline shrugged. “Perhaps he has a reason for staying.”

  “Perhaps,” Rebecca mumbled, wishing their paths would cross again. Aside from her cousin’s treasured company, Rebecca could not recall feeling utterly at ease in anyone else’s presence but his. Somehow, he made her feel as though it was not a crime to be herself, to speak her mind and comment honestly and without restraint. In fact, he seemed to delight in it. Could he possibly be the man she’d been looking for? A man daring enough to attempt tackling those items on her beloved list?

  “Ah, Miss Hawkins, there you are.”

  At the sound of Lord Tedious’ voice, Rebecca could not help but flinch. It was the most unbearable contrast to be jerked out of the delicious warmth thoughts of Lord Pembroke had brought to her heart only to be dumped into cold water by Lord Tedious’ presence, the shock freezing her limbs. “Good evening, my lord,” was all Rebecca could manage, her voice clipped and rather impolite. She could only hope he didn’t notice. Or perhaps it was about time that he did.

  “Will you grant me the pleasure of the next dance?”

  Glancing at Caroline, Rebecca sighed, wondering why on earth the man enjoyed her company. “Well, I—” Her voice stuck in her throat when she glimpsed her uncle, his beady eyes narrowed in warning as his forefinger shoved the spectacles higher up onto his nose.

  Again, she sighed. “Of course, my lord,” Rebecca finally said, accepting Lord Tedious’ proffered hand, and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor.

  Perhaps it was not wise to antagonize her uncle further without deciding what, exactly, she wanted. But perhaps it was time she figured that out.

  Chapter Eight

  Merely an Acquaintance

  “Stop huffing and puffing like a dragon,” Markham chided, his dark eyes narrowed in disapproval as he shook his head at Zach. “You should not have addressed Cavendish directly, and you know it. Of course, he would deny everything. Unlike Lord Mortimer, the late Lord Cavendish did not live out his thrills openly; and neither does his son.”

  Gritting his teeth, Zach bobbed his head up and down, aware that he had acted rashly. Still, the moment Cavendish’s cold blue eyes had settled on him, an instant need to attack the man had settled in his blood. “I did not address him directly,” Zach objected nonetheless. “I was quite careful in my phrasing.” Gusford had taught him well.

  So far, Zach had addressed two of the six names on the list Markham had provided. Both men had acted as though he had fabricated lies, the looks on their faces of such incredulity that Zach had been tempted to believe them. Unscrupulous liars, the lot of them!

  “That doesn’t matter,” the Black Baron insisted, his voice full of disapproval as though he were speaking to an unruly child. “These people do not trust an outsider, which is what you are no matter what title you may have inherited.” He drew in a deep breath, running his right hand through his dark hair. “I suggest you calm down for there is nothing to be done about it.” His gaze drifted across the dance floor. “Go and dance with the pretty girl you’ve been staring at for the better part of the evening.”

  Zach swallowed. “What girl?”

  “I’m not blind.” A challenging grin claimed Markham’s face. “Nor am I a fool as I believe I’ve informed you already.” He came to stand shoulder to shoulder with Zach, his dark gaze following Zach’s as it swept the dancing couples. “She’s the one you were gawking at in Hyde Park the other day, isn’t she?”

  Zach felt his muscles tense. “I don’t gawk. I…I observe.”

  Markham chuckled in that highly annoying, overbearing way. “If your eyes had opened any wider, I’m certain your eyeballs would have fallen out of their sockets.”

  Gritting his teeth, Zach refrained from retorting in any way, knowing that it would only fuel Markham’s desire to rile him even more. The man had a slightly vindictive side, and yet, Zach had come to respect the forthright man for he seemed the only honest creature in London.

  With the exception of Miss Hawkins, of course!

  “I assume your encouragement to seek her out implies that you…approve of her?” Zach asked with an ill-concealed sideways glance at his companion.

  The Black Baron smiled rather devilishly, a knowing look in his dark gaze. “I won’t for a moment believe that you’re looking for my approval.” Leaning leisurely against the marble column in his back, he met Zach’s eyes, a smirk on his face. “You want information about her, do you not?”

  Zach sighed, a belated chuckle leaving his lips as he threw up his hands in defeat. “Very well. You win.” His brows rose at seeing that smug smile on Markham’s face. “What do you know about her?”

  Still smirking, the Black Baron crossed his arms. “Do you like her?”

  Zach could have throttled the man. “How can I know that when I know nothing about her?” he replied with a calm he did not feel.

  For a moment, Markham held his gaze, his own assessing before his piercing stare finally relaxed. “As far as I know,” he began, a hint of eagerness in his voice as he shared what he knew, “she’s from a wealthy merchant family. Her parents passed on a while back
, at which point she came to live with her uncle’s family, a Mr. Conrad Hawkins. As the man seems to be hell-bent on finding a way into upper society, it does not come as a surprise that after marrying a baron’s daughter himself he is now pushing his niece to make a…favorable match.” His brows rose meaningfully before his gaze once more became observant as though he were waiting for Zach to explode.

  Inhaling a calming breath, Zach merely gave a brief nod of acknowledgement before he turned away from the rather insufferable companion at his side in search of the very woman who’d been occupying his thoughts for some time.

  Sweeping the ballroom with his gaze, Zach found her dancing with Lord Tedious.

  A small grin stole onto his face at the nickname she had bestowed upon the dull man who spoke of little else but his dog. It grew even wider when he saw her turn her head and then roll her eyes at her dance partner, annoyance sparking in those green depths. Why on earth was she dancing with him if she found the man this unbearable?

  Perhaps it was time to find out.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” Zach mumbled, ignoring the triumphant grin that came to Markham’s face, and ventured closer to the dance floor. He kept his eyes trained on Miss Hawkins, his feet carrying him closer and closer, his ears attuned to the music, waiting for the last notes to drift away.

  When they finally did, he swooped in and stepped into their path the moment Lord Tedious was about to lead Miss Hawkins off the dance floor. His eyes met hers, and he could not help but feel that she was glad to see him. “May I have this dance?”

  The look on her face spoke of utter joy – at least for a second – before she hesitated, her lips slightly parted as though she was not certain whether or not to grant his request.

  Lord Tedious looked momentarily taken aback, but then his brows drew down in displeasure. He was about to speak, to reject Zach on her behalf, to claim that they had a prior engagement, to say anything that would force Zach to retreat.

  Zach could not let that happen.

  As he had the last time they’d met, he accepted her silent plea and acted without a clear word from her, believing – hoping! – that he was not misreading her signals. “Wonderful! I’m delighted you agree!” he exclaimed as though she had, in fact, accepted his request. Then he all but stole her hand from Lord Tedious’ arm and, before the other man could utter a word of complaint, dragged her back onto the dance floor.

  As though on cue, the orchestra began to play and couples began to move across the dance floor, forcing Lord Tedious to retreat if he did not wish to be overrun.

  “I apologize for being forward,” Zach whispered the second his gaze settled on hers. “I assure you my intentions were…rather selfish, I suppose.”

  Miss Hawkins laughed, her green eyes lighting up and crinkling in the corners in a way that spoke of utter relief and delight. She exhaled a slow breath, and he felt her muscles relax, her hand now resting gently in his without the tension that had lingered in her fingers before. “I admit I’m glad that you’re quite in touch with your selfish side for I seem to be at the beneficial end of it.”

  “Then you do not hold it against me that I all but dragged you onto the dance floor?”

  When the dance led them back together, she leaned in close, her green eyes sparkling with something held in check for far too long. “Truthfully, I consider your directness your most appealing quality.” Her frankness momentarily robbed him of breath, and when he stared at her for a moment too long, her lips broke into a teasing grin before a chuckle danced past her lips. “Do you fault me for mine?”

  “Not at all,” Zach laughed, finding himself once more entranced by her quick wit and open words. There was something utterly beguiling about this woman as though she knew him like no other despite the fact that they’d barely spoken more than a few words to one another. “May I be frank as well?”

  Frowning, she grinned at him. “Have you not been so from the start?”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Waiting until the steps brought them together again, Zach asked, “Why do I always see you in Lord Tedious’ company,” he chuckled when she grinned at his use of the nickname she’d bestowed upon the dull lord, “when even a most distracted observer would see that you do not enjoy it?”

  Miss Hawkins rolled her eyes. “Well, the very gentleman at the root of your question proves your statement false, does he not? For if it were true, then he himself would see that I do not cherish his company.” A frustrated growl left her lips. “However, he seems as oblivious as ever.”

  Zach’s gaze narrowed as he tried to understand her motivation. “Perhaps you ought to be a bit more direct in your response to him.” He grinned. “As you are to me.”

  A deep sigh left her lips, and yet, temptation sparkled in her green eyes.

  “What holds you back?” Zach inquired, hating the thought that a vivacious, young woman like Miss Hawkins was suppressing her nature in order to…

  “There are always reasons, are there not?” she replied cryptically, the light in her gaze waning, soon to be snuffed as though it had never been.

  “Reasons, perhaps?” Zach said, his gaze seeking hers. “But good reasons?” He shrugged, daring her to consider his words.

  A small smile teased her lips, and he could see that their ideas of right and wrong were not so far apart. “Lord Tedious is most respected,” she began, her voice oddly monotonous as though she were merely repeating what she’d been told countless times, no doubt. “He is well connected and from a good family. He is—”

  “Mind-numbingly boring,” Zach interrupted. “You look like you die a small death every time the blasted man opens his mouth.”

  The laughter that spilled from her lips was like music to Zach’s ears. He could have listened to her laugh all night!

  “You haven’t been in England long, have you?” she asked, a tear of laughter glistening in the corner of her right eye.

  Zach grinned, speaking with a boarder accent. “What gave me away?”

  Again, she laughed, and again, Zach felt it all the way to his toes. “You have such a simple, rather innocent way of seeing things.”

  “Innocent?” Zach’s brows went up. “Are you calling me innocent?”

  Her gaze held his, unflinching. “When it comes to English society you are. Or do you deny it?”

  Zach huffed out an annoyed breath. “It shouldn’t matter that he is an earl or—”

  “Viscount,” she put in helpfully.

  “Viscount, then.” His hand tightened on hers, and he marveled at the way her gaze widened ever so slightly. “None of the…the trappings should matter, especially if you do not care for him.” He swallowed. “Do you?”

  For a long moment, the air seemed to stand still as their gazes remained locked. Then the tip of her tongue snaked out to wet her lips. “You’re being very direct.”

  “I thought we’d already established that.”

  “Still, it is highly unusual.”

  He grinned. “Are you evading my question, Miss Hawkins? On purpose? For if that is so, I must tell you I’m utterly surprised that there is anything in this world you’d shy away from.” Again, his hand tightened on hers. “Quite frankly,” his brows wiggled conspiratorially, “I thought you quite dauntless.”

  The corners of her mouth drew upward, revealing just a small glimpse of her white teeth. Her gaze shone in the deepest green Zach had ever seen, full of vibrancy and passion, and the thought that his words had awakened her so made his heart falter in its steps.

  And then the music ended.

  Blinking, Zach realized that he was still holding on to her hand, his breath coming faster than it should after a single dance. Still, he could not seem to bring himself to look away as her emerald eyes had him mesmerized.

  “If you do not mind.” The sharp and rather displeased voice cut through the haze lingering on Zach’s mind like a knife.

  He blinked and turned to see Lord Tedious standing there, his hand rising to reclaim Miss
Hawkins’. His lips had thinned and, for the first time, an emotion other than pleasant indifference lurked in the man’s gaze.

  Before Zach could utter a single word, Miss Hawkins’ hand was snatched from his, leaving behind nothing but loss and regret as she made to walk away on Lord Tedious’ arm. Still, the moment she stepped past Zach, her green eyes turned to meet his and her lips parted, the hint of a teasing curl lingering on the corners of her mouth. “The answer is no, Lord Pembroke.” Her gaze darted to Lord Tedious, who looked over his shoulder at the short exchange. “I do not.” Then she gave in to the slight tug on her arm and walked away, the same loss and regret in her green eyes that Zach felt beating against his ribcage.

  Still, he could not help the small smile that claimed his lips as her words echoed in his ears. Indeed, she did not care for Lord Tedious. How could she? Now, Zach knew for certain, and he realized that despite all he had observed and thought he’d known about her, a small part of him had feared that he’d been mistaken.

  The only question was, why on earth would that bother him so? After all, was she not simply an acquaintance? A charming one, yes, but merely an acquaintance, nonetheless? Once he returned to Boston, their paths would not cross again.

  Something dark and sinister settled in Zach’s heart at that thought, and he wondered about her reasons for enduring Lord Tedious’ company. How far would she go in pursuing her goals – whatever they were? Would she even agree to become his wife?

  That would be a tragedy, indeed. Not only for her.

  But oddly also for him.

  Chapter Nine

  Observations

  “Rufus did the most fascinating thing the other day.”

  Fighting to keep the smile from sliding off her face, Rebecca nodded, doubting Lord Tedious’ words with every fiber of her being. Her hand tightened on the teacup she held and, for a moment, she feared it would shatter from the pressure her fingers couldn’t seem to loosen. Glancing at her cousin, Rebecca found Caroline still seated in the corner of her father’s drawing room, a book in her hands, her eyes lowered to the page.