‘Good afternoon, aunt,’ Adela said, taking the chair across from her and not bothering to respond to Daniel. ‘I did not expect to see you so soon.’
‘We were invited.’ Her aunt smiled, a gesture that seemed almost genuine. ‘Besides, we have been separated for too long as a family.’
Not long enough.
Adela had given her aunt the benefit of the doubt during their time in Ripon, telling herself that just because she mistrusted her, she had no definitive proof of any ulterior motive on her part. But since meeting Ezra, his cynical view had begun to rub off on her. She had now adopted a less charitable attitude and decided to trust her instincts. Papa had not approved of his brother’s family and he had been an expert judge of character. It would have helped, though, if he had confided his reasons for that disapproval to Adela as soon as she was old enough to understand it.
‘Yes, you were certainly invited,’ Adela conceded, refusing to tell either of them that they were welcome. Her mother would enthuse over them, and she had no intention of following her example.
A brittle silence settled over the drawing room. Adela thought about pouring tea for herself but as quickly dismissed the idea. She had already drunk three cups during the course of her afternoon calls. She remained seated, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair, while Daniel endeavoured to make himself charming. The effort it required, and Adela’s blithe indifference to his remarks, made him look constipated.
‘Ah, Belinda my dear!’
Daniel’s mother rose from her chair and embraced Adela’s mother warmly as she entered the room. Adela watched the scene, narrowing her eyes at Mabel Gantz’s transparency. She had not attempted the same ploy with Adela, clearly realising that it would not have been well received.
‘Mabel, this is indeed a great pleasure. And Daniel, too. We did not expect to see you so soon, but we are very pleased to have you with us. I hope you will be able to stay for the rest of the season.’
Adela’s heart quailed and she exchanged a brief look with Talbot, who stood statue-like against the wainscoting, too well-trained to show his own displeasure.
‘Daniel has an estate to put back in good order, Mama,’ Adela said. ‘I don’t suppose he can be spared for too long.’
‘Anyone would think you didn’t want me here, cousin,’ Daniel said in a good-natured tone that almost disguised the edge to his voice.
I don’t. ‘I know how dedicated you are to your duty,’ she replied, thinking two could play at being disingenuous. ‘You told me often enough while we were in Ripon how much you value your new position and how determined you are to live up to your responsibilities.’
Mama looked a little confused by the exchange. Adela’s aunt looked as though she had just sucked on a lemon, probably because she had heard Daniel say as much, too. She didn’t believe it either, but couldn’t defend him.
‘What have you been doing with yourselves since your arrival?’ Aunt Mabel nodded to the invitations lining the mantle. ‘You are obviously in great demand.’
‘We most certainly are,’ Mama responded, clapping her hands. ‘And Adela is admired everywhere we go.’
‘Be careful, cousin. Many a shark lurks in society’s ostensibly civilized waters.’
‘Talking from experience, Daniel?’
‘Adela!’ Mama said, sounding shocked. ‘What a thing to suggest.’
‘I was not suggesting that Daniel is one of the sharks to which he refers, Mama,’ Adela replied, crossing her fingers in her lap to negate the lie. ‘It’s simply that he told me several times when we were in Ripon that he knows the ways of English society well, so it follows that he must have had first-hand experience of the disreputable fellows he speaks of. Otherwise, how would he know?’ she asked, with the sweetest of smiles.
‘Young ladies of fortune with little experience will always be targets for ne’er-do-wells,’ he said.
‘Well, since I never go anywhere unescorted, the ne’er-do-wells you seem convinced are out to compromise me will not get the opportunity.’
‘We are for Lady Marriott’s party this evening,’ Mama said into the ensuing heavy silence. ‘You will come with us, of course.’
‘Mama, they have not been invited.’
‘Bah, child, that is of no consequence. Lady Marriott will not mind. Besides, Daniel is not only an earl, but also handsome and single, so it stands to reason that he will be a welcome addition to the party.’
Daniel gave a rather patronising smile. ‘For my part, I shall be happy to attend, but I give you due warning that I fully intend to attach myself to my cousin. That way, I will not be troubled by the attentions of other young ladies, none of whom will interest me.’
Oh no you don’t! ‘But the single gentlemen interest me a great deal,’ Adela said with a brittle smile. ‘And I will not have you frighten them off, Daniel. I am perfectly sure that you can make yourself charming without compromising yourself.’ Having made her point, Adela stood. ‘Now, if you will excuse me. I have things I must do. I shall see you all later. We dine at seven and leave for Lady Marriott’s at nine.’
Chapter Nine
‘Damn and blast!’
Harker’s message, telling Ezra that Ripon and his mother had already arrived at Eaton Square, put Ezra in a foul temper. It also aroused his suspicions. He wondered when the prodigal cousin had actually arrived in the capital. He must have left close on Adela’s heels to have got here so soon, but it could be done if he’d not been averse to spending tediously long hours on the road. Since Ripon had pockets to let, Ezra assumed he would prefer to have done so, rather than go to the expense of an extra night or two in posting inns.
Aware of what he must now do, he attended Lady Marriot’s mansion at an early hour. On the rare occasions when he could be persuaded to grace such gatherings he tended to arrive late and disappear into the card room as soon as politely possible. His precipitous entrance would, he knew, cause a few raised eyebrows and much speculation, which was precisely his intention.
Before making the entrance in question, Ezra sought out Lady Adela’s carriage, and found Harker lurking nearby.
‘Keep a very close eye on Ripon,’ he said, firming his jaw. ‘If what you tell me is right and he arrived in London yesterday, then there is every possibility that it was he who shot at us this morning.’
‘How would he have known we’d be there?’
Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Someone is feeding him information, and it can only be one of the servants in Lady Adela’s household. I don’t want to ask her if she suspects anyone for fear of upsetting her.’
‘She’s made of sterner stuff than that.’
‘Even so, see who Ripon talks to. You know what signs to look for. But don’t, under any circumstances, relax your vigil regarding the lady’s safety. That is still your primary objective.’
‘Right you are.’
Ezra entered Lady Marriot’s establishment, surrendered his outdoor garments to a footman and was announced by her ladyship’s butler, whose voice cut across the noise of laughter that competed with the sound of musicians tuning their instruments in the gallery. All heads turned in his direction. Some of his acquaintances from White’s sent him an amused glance before turning to watch Adela’s reaction.
She was in conversation with his aunt, her cousin hovering at her side. He too glanced at Ezra with a condescending smile, before placing a possessive hand on Adela’s elbow. Ezra grinned when she shook it off without even turning to look at him. If anyone had told her that it was impolite to reject a gentleman’s attentions quite so publicly, Adela clearly hadn’t let it worry her.
Ezra sought out his hostess and paid his respects.
‘My goodness,’ Lady Marriot said. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘You sent me your card,’ Ezra replied, smiling.
‘I always do, but you never come. I thought you had gone into seclusion. You hardly ever show yourself anywhere. What have I done to deserve such an honour
?’
‘Do I have to have a reason?’ He smiled as he kissed Lady Marriot’s hand. He had always enjoyed her company. She was almost as forthright as Adela and shared her cynical view of society’s mores. ‘Besides,’ he added. ‘Everyone knows you serve the best supper in town.’
‘Ah well, there is that.’ Lady Marriot shooed him away. ‘Half the gals in the room are looking at you as though they want consume you instead of my supper. But you came here of your own volition knowing exactly what would happen, so don’t expect me to protect you.’
‘So cruel,’ Ezra muttered, but he smiled as he strolled away from her.
Before he could use his aunt as an excuse to join Adela’s group, the first dance struck up and Ripon all but dragged Adela onto the floor. Ezra smiled and winked at her as she passed his position, looking highly annoyed.
‘What are you doing here?’ Lady Brailsford asked him as he kissed her cheek.
‘Lady Marriot just asked me the same question.’
‘With good reason. You are the most unsociable creature in the universe, as a general rule. I don’t see you for weeks, then I trip over you everywhere I go.’
‘Don’t exaggerate, aunt. I do know how to mix with the masses when it suits my purpose.’
‘And what purpose would that be?’ His aunt’s gaze rested on Adela as she moved down the dance. ‘One hears rumours, don’t you know.’
‘And one should know better than to listen to them. I am a man of many parts, as you are well aware. Unlike you ladies, we men don’t spend our leisure hours speculating about amatory interests.’
‘If you did, there would be fewer wars.’
Ezra chuckled. ‘Undeniable.’
He knew very well that his presence here and his determination to deny any interest in Adela was the surest way to keep the gossips busy. For once they would be playing right into his hands. Anyone looking at Adela with murderous intent would think twice before causing her harm if they knew that she enjoyed Ezra’s protection.
‘Lord Bairstow, such a pleasure.’ Adela’s mother bustled up to him with another lady—a stranger to him—at her side. ‘Mrs Gantz, my dear sister-in-law.’ She waved at the lady. ‘Must make you known to Lord Bairstow.’
The woman was attractive enough. She bobbed a curtsey, looking up at Ezra with speculative interest. A decade or so older than Ezra, she made little effort to conceal the invitation in her eyes. Ezra had found it easy to resist many such invitations in the past and this one was already proving to be equally unappealing.
‘It is a very great pleasure, my lord,’ she said with a provocative smile that had no place on the face of a woman her age. A woman to whom he had only just been introduced.
‘Mrs Gantz.’ Ezra inclined his head fractionally but kept his tone cool and did not return the sentiment. ‘How are you finding London?’
‘Most entertaining. We only arrived today.’ Liar! ‘But dearest Belinda insists that we stay with her for the rest of the season, so I dare say we shall soon find our feet.’
‘I am surprised that Ripon can be spared from his estate,’ he replied languidly.
The woman’s response was lost in a cacophony of sound as others found excuses to join their group. Many of the matrons had single daughters in tow. Ezra endured their attentions for a half-hour, not once taking to the dance floor, despite the beseeching looks sent his way from beneath demurely lowered lashes. Adela, he noticed, danced every dance and seemed to enjoy herself. But then this was all new to her. Ezra suspected that a chit with her lively intelligence and sound common sense would grow weary of it very quickly.
The moment he had been waiting for arrived with the opening stanza of a waltz. As he approached Adela, he heard her politely decline her cousin, and several others.
He cut a path through her throng of admirers and bowed before her.
‘My dance, I believe,’ he said, taking her hand in his.
‘I say, Bairstow,’ someone said.
‘Not good form,’ complained another.
Ripon merely scowled at him. The idiot should have exercised patience. Having danced with his cousin once, he could hardly expect her to stand up with him for a second time. But the arrogance oozing off him implied that perhaps he did.
‘Good evening, Lord Bairstow.’ She offered him a sunny smile. ‘I believe that you did ask for this dance.’
‘So glad you remembered.’
‘Everyone is watching us,’ she said as he swung her into his arms and she fell effortlessly into step with him, her feet as light as air. ‘Be careful, Ezra. I keep telling you that you are raising people’s expectations.’
‘Including yours?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous! You are simply being infuriatingly protective because you hold yourself responsible for what happened this morning. As you can see, I am feeling no ill-effects.’
‘That is self-evident.’ He allowed his gaze to briefly rove over her body, which was encased in shimmering pink silk edged with cream pearls and lace. The flounces whispered around her legs as he swung her into a turn.
‘Am I actually allowed to waltz?’ she asked, once they had completed a circuit of the floor. ‘Are there not rules…’
‘Since when did you take any notice of rules?’
‘You make me sound like an insurgent.’
Ezra chuckled. ‘An insurgent in a ballroom? You have mixed in military circles for too long, my dear, and speak the language of a soldier. But to answer your question, if you were to set foot in Almack’s, that appallingly stuffy establishment which I myself avoid like the plague, you would not be permitted to waltz without the express permission of one of the patronesses since you have not been presented. But at private parties such as this one, things are far more relaxed.’ He smiled at her. ‘Besides, I won’t tell if you don’t.’
‘It’s hardly a secret. Everyone in the room has seen us. I dare say I am now quite ruined.’ She grinned at him. ‘Thank you so much. I have always wanted to be notorious, and now I shall be relieved of the tedium of returning calls, since no one will receive me.’
‘On the contrary, you have probably just become more popular than ever.’
‘Because you have danced with me? Apparently, you generally avoid that particular activity, which begs the question, why me?’
‘My goodness, you are direct.’
She widened her eyes in a considering fashion. ‘It seems like a reasonable question. But be warned, I shall be angry if you are acting out of some misguided sense of obligation.’
He smiled at her. ‘I never do anything I don’t want to.’
‘How lovely to have such freedom of choice.’
‘You are envious because you have been inflicted with your cousin’s presence. And now, you cannot follow your instincts and close your doors against him for fear of offending your mother,’ Ezra remarked, having successfully led her through a crowded corner of the floor. ‘I can understand why he makes you feel uncomfortable.’
‘I did not expect him to appear quite so soon.’ Adela wrinkled her nose. ‘And just when I am starting to enjoy my notoriety, you remind me of him. That is most disobliging.’
‘Sorry.’ The hand at her waist gave it a gentle squeeze and he held her a fraction closer. ‘I don’t think he likes me very much. Someone should tell him that it’s impolite to scowl across a crowded ballroom.’
‘This is not a ballroom. Lady Marriot assures me that it is a small party with a little impromptu dancing.’ The both glanced up at the musicians, magnificent in the gallery, and laughed.
‘Of course it is,’ he agreed.
‘If Daniel is behaving improperly, perhaps you shouldn’t goad him quite so publicly. I am well able to fend off his unwanted protectiveness without help from you.’
‘If he continues the way he has started tonight, staying at your side the entire time, people will begin to look upon him as having a prior claim to your affections,’ Ezra told her, his expression sobering.
‘Ha!
’ She shook her head as annoyance briefly flitted through her eyes. ‘Well then, in that case he is destined for disappointment. In future I shall not even dance a country dance with him, but I shall stand up with anyone else who asks me. That ought to make my feelings clear enough to anyone taking an interest.’
‘I shall ask you.’ He sent her a tender look. ‘You may depend upon it.’
‘You don’t signify,’ she replied, laughing.
‘Ouch, Adela, you know how to wound.’
‘Stop pretending to have an interest in me. We both know that is not the case.’
The dance ended, and Lady Marriot ushered everyone through to the supper room.
‘Come on,’ he said, raising her from her curtsey. ‘I’ll take you in. That will help.’
‘Sorry to be such a burden. You really don’t have to.’
‘Will you stop fighting me at every turn, irritating child! Has it not occurred to you that I might actually enjoy your company?’
‘Heavens, no!’ She placed her hand on his arm and grinned up at him. ‘Don’t say things like that to me. The compliment might go to my head.’
He chuckled. ‘That I very much doubt.’
*
Despite Daniel’s tedious determination to remain at her side, Adela was enjoying herself. Ezra’s appearance at a party he would normally avoid caused quite a stir. But it was nothing to the stirring that occurred in Adela’s heart when he waltzed with her. Being held in the strong circle of his arms had been the most intoxicating experience of her entire life. The heat that spiralled through her body was quite scandalous and entirely inappropriate. It felt totally divine, and she hadn’t wanted the dance to end.
But it did, and now she found herself being escorted by him into the supper room. Others joined them and the opportunity for further private discourse was denied. Daniel tried to push his way in, but Ezra was having none of it, pointedly excluding him from the general conversation. He eventually got the message, and sauntered away again, trying to look unconcerned at having been snubbed.
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