There he was, standing in the corner, dressed in a sober navy jacket. He was looking out the window, holding a glass of amber-colored liquid.
She made her way through the crowd. She was dressed in a champagne-colored silk, with a strand of pearls at her neck. Her hair was piled on top of her head. Her skirts swirled around her legs.
Lord Cambolton turned at her approach. He smiled, his eyes lighting up as he saw her. He began to move toward her. They both met at the center of the room.
“It’s good to see you again, My Lord,” she said, her heart thumping nervously in her chest. She placed her hand into his outstretched one, he pressed hers with his fingers, bowing low. She curtsied, gracefully. He held on for a beat longer, his gaze lingering on her own.
“And you, My Lady. I was beginning to think that you weren’t going to show up.”
“Then you must have gotten here early, for I am certainly not late.”
“Perhaps I was excited to see you.”
She believed him. She smiled and blushed, her cheeks going warm. Diana had never felt so…girlishly excited. She knew that they were being watched by all those who were gathered.
“Come,” he said, offering her his arm. “Have you seen the view?”
“I have, but you may show it to me,” she replied, placing her hand on his arm. She felt like it belonged there. They walked over to the window, which overlooked the grounds of Aston Manor.
“I really like the sunken garden,” he murmured.
“As do I.”
“Perhaps I shall put one in at Cambolton.”
“Are you doing improvements?” she asked.
“I plan to,” he replied, glancing over at her. He smiled. She found herself looking at his lips, which were pouty, yet masculine. It made her blood race.
“You should come and see the gardens at Lutterhall Manor,” she suggested. “My father has recently put in a new sunken garden of his own.”
“Is that an invitation, My Lady?”
“It is.” She was nervous to give it—she didn’t want to admit to herself how much she wanted him to meet her father. How could he disapprove of her, having found a gentleman to marry?
“Then, I accept.”
“Good.”
They both beamed at each other. It was so easy. They were so utterly in agreement. She knew that it was because they fit together so well. She was very much ready to fall in love with him.
* * *
Eventually, Lady Diana excused herself to go and speak with a group of the other ladies. His gaze followed her, wherever she went. She was gorgeous in the champagne-colored silk. He kept imagining undoing the row of buttons at the back, to reveal the body underneath.
Lady Aston, the evening’s hostess, walked over to Elijah. She was wearing a bright pink silk. She had blonde hair, which was pulled back in a low chignon. Her mouth always seemed to be puckered, as if she was swallowing something sour.
“Lord Cambolton,” she said.
“Lady Aston.”
“How are you enjoying yourself?”
“Exceedingly well, My Lady,” he said. “Thank you for inviting me. I’m sorry that I was unable to attend anything before now.”
“It was your mourning period,” she replied. “It was quite understandable.”
He nodded, taking a sip of the brandy that he held. It was very good, smooth and oaky.
“You and Lady Diana seemed very cozy,” Lady Aston said.
“We were discussing your sunken garden,” he replied. “I believe I will make one of my own.”
“My Lord, that is a compliment, indeed!” She smiled, though her eyes did not. “I must warn you about Lady Diana, however.”
He frowned. “What of her? She seems to be a very genteel lady.”
“She’s been offered five marriage proposals, all of which she has unceremoniously turned down. She is known around here as a veritable flirt.”
“I wonder why.”
“No gentleman is good enough for her. She’s turned down a Duke, as well.”
“Why are you telling me this, My Lady?” Elijah believed she had turned down five proposals. Lady Diana was the most beautiful lady he himself had ever set eyes upon.
“Because I don’t want you to have your hopes dashed, My Lord.”
He smiled at her. “Thank you for your concern.” He planned on taking his chances.
* * *
After doing her social duty to speak to other members of the gathering, Diana returned to Lord Cambolton’s side. He had been talking with others, though he turned toward her as she neared him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re frowning.”
“Lady Aston was telling me that you’ve turned down several offers of marriage.”
She sighed. “I have. Please don’t judge me for it.”
“I won’t,” he assured her. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t love any of them,” she said, sadly. “Say or think what you will, but I can marry for nothing less.”
He smiled, brushing his fingers against the back of her hand. She felt a rush flow through her. She placed her hand on his arm. Together, they moved back toward the window, and away from the others.
“Do you think, perhaps, that you might be able to love me?” he whispered. “Someday?”
She felt herself blush. She looked him in the eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“Since I met you the other evening, I think of you, often,” he replied. “I’ve never met any lady that I’ve felt this way about.”
She beamed at him. “Ask me again, in a few weeks’ time.”
He nodded, smiling. “As you wish, My Lady.”
Diana turned toward the window. Her cheeks were burning. She wished that they could be alone. They were always surrounded by others. They could not speak to each other as familiarly as she would have liked.
Her hand still rested on his arm. “My father wishes me to marry, soon,” she said. “He will be pleased.”
Chapter 7
Dinner at Aston Manor was a lavish affair. Lady Aston had planned a five-course meal. Throughout, Elijah was continually making eye contact with Diana. The two of them shared smiles, which were laced with the sort of understanding that they’d come to. Afterward, the group retired to the drawing room, where the ladies played the pianoforte.
Elijah sat beside Lord Albany. Lady Diana was at the pianoforte. She played very well, her back straight. Her voice was a gentle alto-soprano.
“She is very talented, is she not?” Lord Albany asked in a low voice.
“She is, indeed,” he replied.
“I think you would do well to get her father on your side,” Lord Albany said.
“How’s that?”
“I’ve known him for the past thirty years,” Lord Albany explained. “He’s a difficult sort. No doubt, he was pleased when the Duke of Domnall proposed to Lady Diana.”
Their eyes met, and Elijah nodded.
“Thank you for the advice.”
“I want you to be successful, of course.” Lord Albany grinned. “She’s been the belle of local society for years.”
Elijah’s eyes went over to Lady Diana. She had finished her song, and the whole room erupted into applause. All of the young ladies were clustered around the pianoforte. He turned back to Lord Albany.
“I can’t deny it’s my intention to marry,” he explained. “I no longer have any family left.”
Lord Albany tugged on his beard, thoughtfully. “Then I wish you the best. I will do what I can to persuade Lord Lutterhall. No one should be alone in the world.”
Elijah swallowed, turning his eyes to where the young ladies were all talking by the instrument. Lady Diana’s gaze met his. He smiled, watching the grin slowly brighten on her face. He could feel the pull between them.
* * *
Diana let her gaze travel the room. It was getting late, but the party was still in full swing. She held a glass of cool white dessert wine in her hand.
The
night felt full of possibilities. Lady Aston walked up to her. Diana was still irked over the Lady’s gossip earlier. Regardless, she smiled.
“Lady Aston,” she murmured.
“Lady Diana, your voice is like a nightingale.”
“Thank you.”
“Where is your dear father this evening?” Lady Aston whispered. “He was included on the invitation, I recall.”
“He sends his apologies, My Lady. He was feeling unwell today,” she explained. Her father hadn’t been attending any society events of late. He had been spending a lot of time locked up in his study. What he did there, she knew not.
Ever since her sister’s accident, he’d been doing it more and more frequently.
“And how is Lady Eleonora?” Lady Aston asked. “I pray for her often.”
“She’s slowly regaining her strength,” Diana replied. “Thank you for asking.”
“Once she’s well enough, I will invite the two of you over to luncheon,” Lady Aston said. “I miss her company, most severely.”
“How kind of you.” Diana knew that if Lady Aston truly meant that, she could have gone to visit Eleonora. However, her father was like a gatekeeper, keeping most people away from Eleonora. Her sister was no longer herself.
“I should be on my way home soon,” Diana mused. “Thank you for the wonderful evening, Lady Aston.”
“You are most welcome, Lady Diana.”
They both curtsied, and then Diana began to walk toward the door.
“Leaving so soon, My Lady?”
She grinned at the sound of Lord Cambolton’s voice. He was standing by the door. He held a glass in his hand.
“Yes.”
“Are you still going to Lord and Lady Albany’s tomorrow?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she assured him. “You’ve promised to tell me everything.”
“And so I will.”
“Goodnight, Lord Cambolton.”
“Goodnight, My Lady.” He took her hand, bowing over it. She curtsied, her eyes meeting his. She held his gaze, his eyes smoldering. She could feel the heat go to her blood. It was heady, like a fine wine.
If I could, I would drink deeply, allowing myself to be intoxicated by him.
She left then, and was accompanied to her carriage by the butler. Once inside, she leaned back against the blue velvet seat, breathing out. Her mind was full of Lord Cambolton.
I wonder what it is that he needs to know from Lord and Lady Albany?
As the team broke into a quick trot, taking her back home, her mind raced, trying all of the possibilities. It could be anything. He could want to discuss business, or politics for the House of Lords. Maybe there was a family treasure, hidden somewhere on Cambolton estate, and Lord Albany knew a clue.
* * *
Elijah returned home, just a little after eleven of the clock. The household was quiet. Hanby opened the door for him, and then vanished into the depths of the house.
It was still. Elijah wasn’t used to stillness such as this, having spent most of his two-and-twenty years living in cities. He walked down the hallway, his footsteps loud. He went into his parlor, where he set down his candle in its brass holder.
Over the fireplace, there was a painting of both of his parents, that had been done just after they were married. They both looked so young. Like Elijah, his father had tawny hair and green eyes, while his mother had been dark-haired and blue-eyed.
He wondered what had happened to them. Who could have been their enemy? His father had been affable—kind and caring. It was only until the past few days that Elijah had ever wondered why his father had never had him out here, on the estate.
That, in itself, was certainly odd. It should have been a point of pride. But it hadn’t been.
His mind, as it always did, went to Lady Diana. He imagined her, there with him. If he asked her, she would have an opinion on all of this. Perhaps, she would be able to help him unsnarl the tangled web that surrounded him.
He smiled to himself. Ask me again in a few weeks, she had said, her eyes sparkling. Elijah had never been so sure of anything before. He knew that they were perfect for each other.
He imagined lowering his lips to hers, his hand on the small of her back, pulling her in close.
Though, from the sound of it, her father’s approval might be difficult. He had caught all of the hints that others had dropped to him that evening—her father wanted her to marry a Duke. And Elijah was merely a Viscount.
He looked up at the painting of his parents. “You would have both liked her,” he said. “Tomorrow, hopefully, Lord Albany can give me some answers.”
He meant to find out what had happened. One suspicious death was odd. But two hinted at something. Though what it was, he was determined to find out.
* * *
“How was your evening, My Lady?” Mary, Diana’s lady’s maid, asked as she began to unhook the row of silk-covered buttons.
“It went rather well,” she replied, reaching up to begin unpinning her hair. Mary was new, and she didn’t yet know if she could trust her. “Dinner was five courses, and then I played the pianoforte.”
“The champagne silk was a good choice, My Lady.”
She smiled, recalling the way that Lord Cambolton’s eyes had lit up at the sight of her. “Yes, yes it was.”
“Did you talk with many gentlemen?”
“Of course.” She wondered if her father had asked Mary to find out if she favored any gentlemen in particular. She decided to keep Lord Cambolton to herself for the moment.
She pulled out the last of the pins, and her auburn hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Mary finished with the buttons, helping to slip the sleeves down off of her shoulders.
Diana stepped out of the gown, watching as Mary set it aside to be cleaned. She turned, waiting while Mary began to unlace her corset. Her mind went to Lord Cambolton, imagining what it might be like for him to unlace her corset… In the mirror, her cheeks glowed and her eyes had a special gleam to them.
She recalled their earlier conversation. She knew that, in all likelihood, in a few weeks’ time she might be very much in love with him.
Already, she wished that he was there. She wanted to know all of his secrets. He seemed to contain many. She wondered why his father had kept him away from their county seat. Otherwise, they might have met sooner.
Mary helped Diana into her nightgown. “Anything else I may do for you, My Lady?” she asked.
“That’s all, Mary. Thank you.”
Mary curtsied, then left. Diana breathed a sigh of relief at being alone. She walked to the window, where she peered out through the curtains. From her window, she could see the woods. In the nighttime, they were pitch-black against the dark blue of the night sky.
On the other side of those woods, was Lord Cambolton’s estate. She could almost sense him, so close, and thinking of her, just as she was thinking of him.
Chapter 8
Elijah arrived at Albany Manor the next morning, early. Lord Albany met him at the front door. Then, the two gentlemen walked out to the lake, where they set their fishing poles out. It was quiet, except for the sounds of the frogs that were hiding in the reeds, and the little family of ducks. The mist hung over the land thickly. There was that hush that accompanies the beginning of the day, before the summer sun began to heat up.
The pond was silvery in the sunlight. Up close, the water was tea brown, with layers of leaves near the bottom. From where he stood, he could see the dark forms of fish, darting through the calm water. Elijah felt himself relax into the calm atmosphere.
“How goes the settling of your father’s estate?” Lord Albany asked. He was soft-spoken, clearly at ease in the world. He accepted his fishing pole from the footman, who had already put some bait onto the end of his line.
“It goes well,” Elijah replied. “Not much more left to do.”
“Good.” Lord Albany kept his gaze on the pond. He cast his hook into the water. Elijah accep
ted his own pole, which the footman had prepared for him. The footman stepped back, allowing them space, yet remaining nearby to assist.
Sinfully Bound To The Enigmatic Viscount (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 4