“Are you still cold?” he asked with a frown, fingering the rapidly drying fabric of her dress.
Her blush deepened but she met his eyes and smiled, cocking her head in amusement. “You are being blind again, Sebastian.”
He knit his brow, confusion lasting for several heartbeats before comprehension dawned. Then the smile that blazed anew was dazzling—and slightly smug—conjuring a fresh web of magic around them that was seconds away from sending them spiraling into another interlude of passionate kisses. But the door opened, shattering the spell along with the entry of Lady Warrow and two maids bearing trays of food and warm beverages.
Sebastian rose smoothly to his feet and bent to clear a spot on the low table.
“Refreshments!” Lady Warrow sang. “Nothing like warm liquids and sweet pastries to drive away a chill, although it looks like my grandson’s efforts have warmed you up nicely, Miss Darcy. You look positively flushed! Very proficient in laying a fire, is he not? And the quilt was a wise move. We must not allow you to relapse, my dear girl. Yes, Stella, pour Miss Darcy a hot cup of tea, lots of sugar and lemon. These rolls are my absolute favorites, as they are thick with honey and plump raisins. The perfect remedy to all ailments.”
She prattled on innocently, seemingly unaware of heightened color to cheeks, ruddy lips, and glazed eyes. The idea of the Marchioness of Warrow knowing of their recent improper conduct was embarrassing for Georgiana, no matter Sebastian’s assurance that the older woman would relish the behavior, so she was calmed by the older woman’s apparent ignorance.
Sebastian was not fooled in the least, knowing his grandmother very well, but he said nothing. The quizzing would come later, and he was fine with that, having no desire to hide his happiness, but for the present he would remain as serene as he could manage. It was best to let Georgiana recuperate and take the lead in announcing their understanding.
“Thank you, my lady. I do indeed feel much better and am plenty warm. I confess to being famished, however, having ran from the house prior to breakfast,” Georgiana said, and then flushed and ducked her head to take a sip of tea before glancing to Sebastian, who looked slightly pained.
Lady Warrow laughed gaily. “Oh, to be so young and impulsive again! Youth allots for such whimsies, Miss Darcy. Sebastian remains distressed, I can see, but vigorous constitutions are made for recklessness and overindulgences. Live, I say, while one can!”
“Miss Darcy has been ill, Grandmother. There is reason to fret.”
“Indeed, but look at her now. Why, she is glowing! The picture of health and happiness!”
Sebastian did look at her, and she looked back. His smile softened, the worry fading in light of her obvious radiance and profuse joy.
The diminutive marchioness sat on the sofa behind Georgiana, arranging her frilly dressing gown and appearing every inch the aristocrat she was even in bedroom attire. Serving herself some tea with four spoons of sugar, she continued in her breathy voice, “I, of course, am vastly experienced in foolhardy behavior. The frivolities of my juvenescence are the stuff of legends! As time passes, my dear, I shall entertain you with my youthful exploits.”
“Youthful? Did I not just one month ago have to save you from the claws of Duc de Fallais’s mistress who did not appreciate your brazen flirting with her amour?” As always when speaking to his grandmother, Sebastian’s tone was tender and imbued with amusement.
Lady Warrow snorted indelicately, waving a hand breezily. “Competition is a good thing. Young upstarts such as Mademoiselle Ablis need to be reminded of the lure of expertise to the male population.” Her mouth was prim as she sipped her tea, but the twinkle in her eye and saucy wink toward Georgiana left no question as to the “expertise” she referred to. And, despite the logic to the contrary, Georgiana had no doubt that Lady Warrow’s aura of lush sensuality and zeal, along with a voluptuous body and stunning beauty that defied the aging process, meant she could likely make good on her threat to lure.
“The point is,” the marchioness continued, “audacious recklessness is healthy for the soul, keeps one alive, and provides the best tales to tell the grandchildren. Sebastian pretends to find me outrageous, but he loves my stories.”
“I have been taught it is polite to pacify one’s elders, a duty to bear as a gentleman and selfless kinsman.”
“See how he delights in teasing me? Ungrateful child!” she declared with theatrical suffering. “Years of professed mortification, yet now he creates dramas of his own! Manfully enduring romantic torment, running hither and yon, rescuing the fair maiden from inferior suitors, and bursting through the door with a fainting damsel in his arms. Where did he learn such colorful escapades if not from me?”
“I read books,” he answered dryly.
“You two have a story to tell, I daresay. Of course, it is none of this old woman’s business. Probably too ancient to remember such blazing emotions,” she said sighing dramatically and ignoring Sebastian’s sniff. “I may die at any moment and never hear the end of the tale.”
“Old, ha! You shall be dancing rings around me at my own wedding, Grandmother. I am sure of it.”
“And when might you be having a wedding?” Her brows rose in a precise imitation of guileless questioning, but Sebastian merely chuckled and shook his head.
“Lady Warrow,” Georgiana spoke, her voice dulcet and hesitant, “there is a story, as you surmise. Not always happy but replete with angst, drama, and foolishness. I fear I have behaved badly and caused your grandson a great deal of grief.”
“No, Georgiana, please do not take it upon yourself!” Sebastian protested.
“But I must.” She turned to the marchioness, leaning toward where she regally sat and impulsive clasping on to her tiny hands. “I know how dear Mr. Butler is to you, and thus must beg your forgiveness and understanding. Please believe that it was innocently wrought and that I now intend to do all in my power to reverse the damage.”
Lady Warrow chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh, my dear child. Have you not been listening? What is life or love without some heartache and sensationalism attached? Makes a dreary existence far more agreeable and appreciated. I would worry more if you two did not have an intriguing, suspenseful tale to tell! How bland would that be?”
“Well, I suppose we shall not disappoint then. I am not sure about being sensational, but there has been a fair portion of suspense. Fortunately, like all good stories, it has a happy ending.” She paused, extending one hand to Sebastian, who instantly clasped it tightly.
“Grandmother, Miss Darcy has confirmed the reciprocation of my love and has agreed to become my wife.”
“Well, about time! I was beginning to believe Lady Matlock and I would need to bash your heads together to restore some sense.” Lady Warrow laughed happily, tugging Georgiana up onto the cushioned seat next to her. “I am thrilled for you both. I knew you were perfect for each other from the start! You could not do better than my grandson, and I am pleased to see you finally realized that, my dear. However, Sebastian is the luckiest of men to have found you.”
“Be sure, I am abundantly aware of the fact, Grandmother. My great fortune is immense, and I know I am receiving the higher prize within this arrangement.”
“I disagree most vehemently!” Georgiana declared with a laugh. “It is I who have been rewarded supremely.”
“Very good,” Lady Warrow interrupted with a sage nod. “Always best to start a relationship with an argument. Maintains the spice and equality. Now, Georgiana, do not forget that I am quite excellent at planning weddings. I am a close, personal friend of the Archbishop of Canterbury, so a special license would be no problem. Any cathedral in the country can be arranged if you wish.”
“Grandmother, please! We have been betrothed less than an hour, and even that is precarious until I speak with Miss Darcy’s guardian and then Mr. Darcy. We have yet to discuss our wishes or even think of wedding details!”
“Oh, Sebastian! How many sisters do you have? Have you not l
earned that young ladies begin planning their weddings from the schoolroom?”
A knock at the door halted Sebastian’s retort. Lady Warrow continued to chuckle, Georgiana smiling at Sebastian but shaking her head slightly in the negative.
“Miss Darcy’s carriage has arrived, milady,” the butler announced with a bow.
“Yes, you should return home, my dear. You need to bathe and dress properly, and I know Lady Matlock must be beside herself with worry. Oh, do not frown. We have an afternoon date already arranged, if you recall. So you shall be back in no time at all. I am quite sure I can persuade my grandson to dine with the women.”
The butler then turned to Sebastian. “Pardon me, sir, but Hendricks was requesting instructions as to what to do with your packed bags?”
“Return them to my room, but tell him not to bother unpacking since we will be leaving soon enough.”
Georgiana gasped and jerked, ice crushing her heart to a stuttering stop. Tears stung the wide eyes fixated upon his startled face, and her voice rose to a hysterical pitch. “You are leaving after all? Why? I thought we…?”
She stuttered to a halt, bit her lower lip, and closed her eyes against the sudden panic. Unreasonably, she felt a horrible cloud of doom descend. Maybe the whole morning was a dream? The alarm grew, her heart pounding, even as a rational voice told her she had no right to upset his education.
The agony lasted a mere half dozen racing heartbeats before he was there with hands firm under her elbows. He drew her to her feet.
Neither heard Lady Warrow exit the room.
“Georgiana—” he began.
“Forgive me,” she interrupted, voice anguished and face grief-stricken. “I should not expect you to stop… Your studies are very important, I know, and a chance to study Palestrina in Vienna is incredible. You were planning to spend the summer there as it is, I remember, so…”
He lifted her chin, halting her declarations with a brief, firm kiss. He pulled away infinitesimally, cupping one cheek in his hand and drawing her closer with the other about her waist. He smiled, infusing the gesture with the full force of his love. “You are a silly girl, Miss Darcy, if you think for one second I would leave you now. As appealing as Vienna and Palestrina may be, neither is as appealing as you! I was only going to escape and now I have no reason to escape, to my everlasting joy.”
He engaged her lips for another long kiss, saying more in the following minutes than in hours of conversation. Finally, though, he did release her to explain. “My reference to leaving soon relates to my accompanying you to England when you depart. After all, I believe I have a vital appointment with your brother, do I not?”
“I do not wish to encroach upon your purpose.”
“My purpose was radically arrogated the moment I laid eyes upon you, Georgiana, even if I was unaware at the time. Our fates are entangled now. The specifics can be discussed later, but I am not worried as long as you are by my side.”
Her relief was audible, a long sigh followed by a droop against his body. Sebastian did not argue, taking advantage and embracing her gently against his chest, his face embedded in her fire-warmed hair. He whispered into the disheveled tresses covering her crown, “You are my purpose now, Georgiana. You have accepted my proposal and I do not intend to allow you to renege!” Georgiana tightened her grip about his waist and shook her head against his shoulder. “And to further clarify, nothing is more important than you, and you have every right to expect my loyalty and devotion. Not that you have anything to worry about, as I aim to smother you with love until you beg me to desist in order to preserve your sanity.”
Georgiana mumbled into his chest, “No chance of that.”
“How happy am I to hear it.”
She looked upward into his face. “I apologize for my reaction. It is silly of me, but I think I am having some difficulty believing I am no longer caught up in a fever dream.”
“Does this feel like a dream?” He bent his head for a kiss, a firm but short one that nevertheless left her smiling and flushed.
“Yes, it does feel like a dream, but real at the same time. Like yesterday when everything became clear.” Sebastian smiled at her words and brushed light fingertips over her lips. “I was anguished at your misconceptions regarding my sentiments,” she whispered against his fingers. “I empathized and was distraught. I wanted to rush over instantly but Lady Matlock cautioned waiting until today. I had it planned. I would hunt you down, in your own house if necessary, and force you to listen to me. I practiced being brave and bold. I wanted to wear the blue dress from the ball now that I knew your reaction to seeing me in it was not a dream.”
“It was not the dress,” he told her huskily.
“Be that as it may, I planned to be stunning and irresistible, not windblown and mismatched.”
“You are beyond stunning and wildly irresistible.” He scanned slowly over her body. His pale-gray eyes had darkened to stormy slate when they returned to her face.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Sebastian, I practiced boldness and honesty. Part of that is telling you that I spoke with Lord Caxton days ago and informed him finally and firmly that I did not love him and could not in good faith or decency continue on with our acquaintance or accept his advances.”
“I can imagine he did not accept this news with ease.” Sebastian was unconscious of how he reflexively squeezed her waist, but Georgiana bore it. “It cannot be easy to have the person you plan to… marry”—he swallowed, his grip tightening more—“tell you that she has changed her mind.”
“I do not… What do you…?”
“Georgiana, I need to know. Forgive me, but I must hear that your heart is completely mine and not partially, even in the smallest particle, still belonging to him.”
“No! Not at all!”
“Understand that I am not going to let you go, Miss Darcy. I will fight for you to my dying breath, but I will wait and woo you as I should have in the first place, if that is necessary to erase any residual feelings you have for him.” His voice had risen and he was now grasping her elbows in each hand and staring into her startled eyes with a return expression bordering on frantic.
“My feelings for the baron were never more than infatuation and respect and fondness, Sebastian. My heart has belonged to you since Lyon, I now know. You must believe me!”
“But he told me… Did you or did you not have an understanding with him?”
She watched his eyes change from frantic to surprised to confused to angry in the space of three sentences. Her own emotions underwent a similar flow. “I never had an understanding of any kind with Lord Caxton. He wished for one and asked to court me, and presumed more than was granted I came to realize, but I never said more than that I would consider the idea.”
“He lied to me.” Sebastian released her, walking away a few steps before turning back to face her. “I thought… well, he convinced me that you and he were… He lied to me.”
Silence fell. It was Georgiana who broke into their thoughts, speaking calmly. “I see we have much yet to clarify. Our mutual misconceptions run deep, apparently. Are you disappointed with me or angry?”
“I am angry with myself for being such a blind fool, dearest Georgiana. And I am quite angry with Caxton! But I am not angry with you, or disappointed.” He crossed back to her, cupping her face between his hands. “You said you loved me since Lyon?” She nodded. “I have loved you since the moment you knew who Moscheles is. We are a pair of like souls, Miss Georgiana Darcy. Passion for music binds us.”
“I feared your passion for music too great to allot space for me and that your gift would suffer if distracted by romantic entanglements. I never wanted to disrupt your education.”
“Yet during your plotting to hunt me down and force me to listen, you no longer held any consideration about disrupting my education?” He laughed lowly and gently tweaked her nose.
“I confess I did not.”
“Because you trusted that my choice would
be you. That we are fated, yes?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “I knew that you loved me, which I did not know before. Furthermore, after last night I thought only of being in your arms and tasting your kiss again. Does that shock you?”
“Not in the least.” His voice was nearly inaudible, rough and clipped, his lips hovering a hairbreadth from her mouth. “I am happy to oblige, but before I do, I am required to remind you that you, Miss Darcy, have already been granted a place in the Conservatoire. My education will not be disrupted in the least but will, in fact, be enhanced with my personal muse learning along with me as Viscountess Nell. And before you recover your voice, I am going to grant your wish and kiss you.”
This he did for a good long while. The repossession of sanity and decorum was sluggish. Even as the frenzied kiss subsided, they remained glued to each other, breathing erratic and hearts palpitating.
“Georgiana, my beautiful Georgiana. I hate the very idea, but I must send you home. As desirable as you are in your current state, and perhaps in part due to how fervidly I desire you right now, you need to change out of this inappropriate garment. We shall have plenty of time, all of our lives, to discuss these past weeks, if we even choose to. I abhor leaving the sanctuary of your arms, but you need to get home to a hot bath and fresh clothes. I need to prepare myself for an appeal to Lord Matlock and Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
Sebastian bundled her in his thick overcoat. “Another reason for you to return in a few hours,” he offered with a crooked grin. He guided her to the waiting carriage, halting first in the foyer so she could express her thanks to a clearly euphoric Lady Warrow.
He stood on the step and settled her on the seat, tucking quilt edges about her legs. Georgiana leaned forward, clasping his hand.
“I will see you for tea. Two o’clock precisely, no later.”
“Yes, madam. As you wish.” His voice dropped lower, eyes penetrating. “Say it again, Georgiana.”
She ruffled the hair by his ears, eyes equally penetrating. “I love you, Sebastian Butler.”
Miss Darcy Falls in Love Page 26