The ballroom at Forstall Hall was filled. It was decorated with bunches of summer blooms—pale pink and yellow roses, lilies, and violets. There were tall, white long-lasting candles, which flickered, lighting up the room. The crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling blazed with light. The tile floor shone, and there was a fleur-de-lis set into the middle.
Several Medieval tapestries were on the walls, covering the stone. They depicted lush forests, filled with satyrs, unicorns, and dancing maidens. Though they were old, they were in wonderful condition. It added to the certainly medieval feel of Forstall Hall.
The dancing had not yet begun, but the ballroom was crowded, with people talking in groups from one wall to the other. It was warm inside. Elijah tugged at his cravat, feeling suffocated. He hadn’t been among company since his father’s funeral six months prior. He was more than a little out of practice.
He had not often mixed with society here in the countryside. For the most part, his father had met with him for the holidays at their townhouse in London. Elijah had never questioned it, for he loved London. Now, though, he found that he knew few people in the neighborhood of his ancestral home.
He glanced around, looking for the doors to the terrace. The glass French doors were opened, to allow a breeze in. He began to make his way through the crowd. When he exited, he found that even the terrace was occupied. There were gentlemen smoking their pipes, and ladies fanning themselves while leaning on the stone balustrade.
He walked down the stairs and then out into the gardens. The path was lined with brightly burning torches. Overhead, the moon was round and full, casting silvery light over the box hedges and fully blown roses of Lady Forstall’s garden. He could hear talking. He supposed that others were out there, wishing to have a moment alone. He kept moving, making his way deeper in to the gardens.
Elijah kept his stride at a leisurely pace. The summer heat had broken, and it was cooling off. The sounds of frogs, calling out to one another, grew louder the farther he got from the house. He breathed in the cool night air, feeling refreshed with every breath that he took.
When he turned the corner, he found himself face to face with a lady, dressed in lemon-colored silk. Her auburn hair was fixed in ringlets, framing her heart-shaped face. In the moonlight, long shadows were cast over her face. She gasped when she realized that he was there, her hand going to her breastbone.
She was short and voluptuous, with dark eyes, which were wide in surprise.
“My apologies,” he said, bowing to her. He looked around for her chaperone, to find that she was alone.
“It’s all right,” she murmured, curtsying. He felt his heart do a bit of a flip. When she smiled at him, he realized that she was the most beautiful lady he’d ever seen.
“Are you well, My Lady?” he asked, wondering why she was out there by herself. She was so mesmerizing, and he watched as she tilted her head to the side, seeming to consider how she wanted to answer the question.
“I’m well,” she murmured. “If—if you’ll excuse me, My Lord.” She turned to go. Elijah felt the overwhelming urge to stop her.
Chapter 3
Diana had gone into the gardens in an effort to avoid the gentlemen asking her to dance. She had already danced five sets in a row. In her new dancing slippers, her feet were crying out for a rest. She couldn’t do another.
She knew that she was blushing. In the moonlight, no doubt, it was hidden. As Diana was walking, she could hear him behind her. She whirled around, to find him following her.
“I’m sorry, My Lady,” he said. She felt something inside of her melt. The gentleman was tall and muscular, with high cheekbones and a well-formed jaw. He was looking at her with kind concern. Her heart was doing a pitter-patter—one that she had never thought possible.
“I was escaping the ball,” she said, if only to explain her presence there.
“I was also escaping,” he replied. Their eyes met, and they both laughed.
“It’s quite lovely out here. I’d no idea that Forstall Hall boasted such fine gardens.”
“They do,” she agreed. “Though the gardens at Albany Manor certainly rival them.” She hadn’t seen him before. She wondered who he could be.
She glanced around. They were alone. However, she knew that if anyone came upon them like this, her reputation would be ruined. Her father would never forgive her. She was only lucky that he had decided not to attend.
“We shouldn’t be caught here like this,” she pointed out.
The smile fell from his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Quite right. My apologies,” he told her.
“I would like for us to be properly introduced,” she said, feeling daring. “Who do you know here?”
“Lord and Lady Forstall?” he suggested. “Unfortunately, I know very few people here. I haven’t been much in the area.”
She smiled. It sounded, to her, that he had a county seat in the vicinity. “Excellent. I will go and find one of them, and then you come and find us.”
“I will.”
“Promise me?” Diana wanted nothing more than to get to know this dashing gentleman better. With the way that her heart beat faster when he was near, she knew that she had to.
“I swear to you, My Lady.” He bowed gallantly.
“Good. I’ll go in first, and then you follow, My Lord,” she ordered.
He nodded, smiling. She turned away from him, her heart beating soundly in her chest. She had never felt this way about anyone before. She wondered if it was merely the intrigue of the situation.
Not only was he handsome, he interested her. She knew instinctively that he was not like other gentlemen. She wondered what and who he was. She would learn, soon enough.
She stood in the doorway, looking for Lady Forstall. When she saw her, she made her way over, planning in her mind to begin a conversation that would last long enough for the mysterious gentleman to find them.
* * *
Elijah was blissfully happy, for the first time since his father’s death. He had never been so interested in someone before. He didn’t even know her name. He waited until she disappeared from sight, and then he began to walk slowly back to the house.
Once inside, he spotted her talking to Lady Forstall, over by the refreshments table. He made his way over.
“Lady Forstall,” he said. “You’ve outdone yourself with those flower arrangements.” They were, indeed, a profusion of bright colors.
“Lord Cambolton,” she replied, beaming. “Are you enjoying the evening?”
“I am,” he said. “I just toured your gardens, and find them stunning.”
“Have you met Lady Diana Dunkeld?” she asked. He turned his gaze toward her. In the brighter light, he could see the pale cream of her skin, and the way that her brown eyes shone. He could now see the spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and how pink and luscious her lips were.
“I have not had the pleasure.”
“Lady Diana, this is Elijah, the Viscount of Cambolton.”
She curtsied to him, while he bowed to her.
“It is a pleasure,” she murmured. Her name suited her. She was as lovely as a huntress, as mysterious as a moon goddess. It was only right that the first time he had beheld her, she was awash in silvery moonlight.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he replied. They both smiled, the weight of their shared secret meeting stretching between them deliciously.
“Well, if you would both excuse me,” Lady Forstall said, her eyes travelling over the fast-emptying table once laden with desserts. “I must go and check on the serving staff. We need to have more refreshments sent out forthwith!”
They watched as she walked off, a bustle of silver silk skirts and brunette ringlets. Then, they turned to each other and grinned.
“Excellent showing,” she whispered, conspiratorially. “I believe no one’s any wiser.”
“Agreed,” he replied. “May I get you a drink, My Lady?”
“Yes, plea
se, My Lord.” She slipped her small hand into the crook of his elbow. His heart rose, and he felt proud to have such a handsome lady beside him, as a co-conspirator.
* * *
As Diana spoke with Lord Cambolton, she had a warm feeling pooling in the pit of her stomach. She was certainly finding him to be an interesting partner for discussion.
In the well-lit ballroom, his face was lit up. His green eyes sparkled. His skin had a bit of an olive tone to it, and his hair was tawny.
“Why have we never met before?” she said. “After all, the Cambolton estate is only a few miles from Lutterhall.”
“Well, I have been out of the country, pursuing my education,” he explained. “My father would meet me in London during holidays. I’ve only very recently begun to wonder why. After all, Cambolton Manor is a comfortable house, with good neighbors.”
“I see,” she mused. “I did know your father, in passing. He mentioned that you were away at school.” She recalled that his father had died suddenly. Apparently, it had been unsavory, and her father hadn’t told her much.
“I was at a boarding school in the North,” he said.
“Really?” She perked up.
“It was up by the Scotland border.”
“How adventurous. I find myself a tad bit jealous. I’ve never left the country before. The farthest I’ve been is to London, for the Season.”
“Not much happens up North, mostly it’s quiet.”
“I imagine that our country balls bore you,” she murmured. “After all of the excitement that the Scots can provide.”
“Not at all,” he assured her. “I’m having the best time, here, talking with you.”
She grinned at him. He was very agreeable, indeed. “As am I,” she said. She wondered how long he would be agreeable. Gentlemen were very well-practiced at saying the right things, and making the correct gestures, but without feeling.
“I do think that the other gentlemen are getting jealous that I’m monopolizing your attention,” he murmured, taking a sip of his drink.
She laughed as she followed his gaze around the room. They were being watched, all of them, gentlemen. Several of them had offered her marriage proposals. The Duke of Domnall was openly staring, the line of his mouth curving downward.
“That’s all right. I daresay they’ve all grown tired of me.” She didn’t explain. She liked Lord Cambolton, and wanted him to think her wonderful.
“No one could ever grow tired of you, My Lady,” he said. She smiled at him. He certainly said all of the right things. But there was something about him that was different. She couldn’t figure out what it was, but she was determined to learn it.
* * *
Elijah and Lady Diana continued speaking all night. He was enjoying himself—a feat which once seemed impossible. Maybe, by some sort of Divine Providence, she was the very lady he had been looking for.
I wouldn’t mind being married to her, but I need to know her better to be certain.
Now, the other guests were beginning to trickle out. Most of the gentlemen and ladies looked wilted, from the heat of the ballroom, and their exertions when dancing.
“I suppose I should get going,” she said.
“It’s been a pleasure speaking with you.”
“And you, as well.” Her smile was brilliant, and there were roses blooming in her cheeks.
“I suppose you’re going to the luncheon tomorrow at Lady Strutherton’s?” she asked.
“I’ve been invited,” he replied. He planned to attend all of the invitations that he’d been given—he needed to become introduced to Lord and Lady Albany, in the hopes that they would be able to tell him about the ball that they’d held.
“Then you must come,” she told him. “I will expect to see you there.”
He smiled. “I will be pleased to oblige you.”
“Good.”
“It was lovely meeting you, My Lady.”
“Goodnight, My Lord. I’ll see you soon.”
“Indeed, you will.”
Lady Diana smiled at him, and then made her way to the front door, where their host and hostess were saying their goodbyes. It was as though he had known her in a different life. He felt he found the other half of himself—one that he hadn’t known was missing.
He followed after, thanking Lord and Lady Forstall, and then leaving through the front door in time to see Lady Diana climbing into a sleek black carriage, with a coat of arms emblazoned on the side.
Her carriage moved off, the horses’ hooves clopping on the hard-packed ground, and he watched as it turned down the drive. This had been a very good evening.
She was the one that he’d been hoping to meet. She was vivacious and witty. He felt, for the first time in ages, that there was new life within him.
Chapter 4
The next morning, Diana woke late. She had breakfast in bed, and then her lady’s maid, Mary, helped her dress. Mary was new, so she had to be instructed on how Diana liked things to be done. Diana was determined to be patient, but she missed her former lady’s maid, who had departed in order to marry.
She left her room, heading down the hall to Eleonora’s bed chamber. When she arrived, Eleonora was already dressed in a simple frock, her hair brushed as neatly as possible.
“Good morning, sister,” Eleonora said. “Have you come to tell us about the ball?”
The ever-present Sarah was just finishing putting Eleonora’s gowns in order. “We were just saying that you’d be in at any moment,” she agreed. Sarah had been an angel ever since the accident, helping to nurse Eleonora back to health.
Diana sat down in the brocade armchair across from her sister. Eleonora’s room was decorated in shades of soft blue, emanating a sense of calmness. Prior to her accident, Eleonora had been steady, calm, self-assured. Now, though, she had periods of exhaustion, followed by periods of extreme upset for no reason. The accident had changed her. Today, Eleonora was smiling serenely, Diana noted.
“How many dances did you have?” Eleonora asked, folding her small hands in her lap. In the morning light, the wicked scar that ran across her temple was pink, shiny.
“Only the first five,” she said.
“Only five?” Eleonora tilted her head.
“Yes. For I made the acquaintance of Lord Cambolton,” she explained. At the sound of his name, Eleonora’s brow creased as she paled.
“He—he is an elder gentleman, is he not?” she asked.
“No. Not at all. He is five-and-twenty at the most, I would guess. Although, perhaps, you recall his father? After all, Cambolton Estate is not more than five miles from here.”
Eleonora sighed, wistfully. “Perhaps you’re right.” She glanced over at Sarah. “I met the father, did I not?”
Sarah nodded. “You did, My Lady. I believe you mentioned him, once or twice.”
“Indeed. There was a ball that I danced with him, though I do not recall when or where.”
“Did he mention his son?” Diana asked.
Eleonora nodded. “Yes. That he was studying at a boarding school up North.”
“We spoke for much of the evening,” Diana said.
“Is he handsome?” Eleonora asked. “His father is.”
“Was, I believe. He passed recently.”
“Oh, how awful.” Eleonora’s eyes sparkled with tears. She was gripping her hands so tightly that they were white.
“Indeed.” Diana was worried. Eleonora often cried, without much reason. It was a result of the nasty head wound. It made her rather melancholy, at times. She hoped that news of the former Viscount of Cambolton hadn’t just set her off.
“That makes me very sad.” Eleonora sighed, her hand going to her eyes. “I’m feeling very tired.”
“Then you must rest,” Diana said.
“Thank you for telling me about the ball. It sounds like you had a very good time.”
“Indeed, I did.”
“Come, My Lady,” Sarah said, helping Eleonora up. “We’ll get you b
ack into bed.”
Diana left the room, closing the door softly behind her. She reminded herself that she wasn’t the reason why Eleonora became sad. It wasn’t her fault.
She felt tears make her throat tight. She hated that her vivacious, lively older sister was but a ghost of the lady that she had once been. And for what? What had possessed her to go out that evening?
Diana didn’t know.
Sinfully Bound To The Enigmatic Viscount (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 2