A Sense of Belonging

by Wendy Soliman

  ‘He’d be a fool if he doesn’t take you.’

  ‘Oh, he will, eventually.’ She paused. ‘He must,’ she added, sounding anything but sure. ‘Now, if you’ve failed with Lady Emma, you’d best concentrate your efforts on the younger sister. Time’s running out if you are to achieve your heart’s desire.’

  ‘Very well. I will focus my attentions upon Lady Mary in public but you will not prevent me from pursuing that prime little companion in private. She appeals to me.’

  ‘I don’t care what you do, just so long as you don’t get caught and spoil everything. Remember what’s at stake.’

  ‘You imagine I would ever forget?’ Flora heard the incredulity in his tone. ‘That I would want to forget why I am doing all this?’

  ‘Someone has to keep their wits about them. Anyway, we’d best get back before we are missed. They are punting on the lake. You could offer to take Lady Mary out. That would be a good way to state your interest.’

  The captain groaned. ‘If I must,’ he said.

  Flora heard footsteps and the sound of the door opening. She flattened herself against the rear wall of the pavilion, willing neither of them to look back as they left it. If they did, she would be seen and the embarrassment of being caught didn’t bear thinking about. Nor did the use to which the captain would likely put the situation.

  Fortunately, they walked away, still talking animatedly. The moment the coast was clear, Flora rounded the pavilion, let herself in and slumped down on the nearest bench, out of breath, furious not to have seen through the captain and very worried. Miss Carlton’s cloying perfume still lingered in the air, forcing Flora to open the door, releasing the overwhelming smell of it as she contemplated what she had overheard.

  Had she really given the impression that she welcomed Captain Carlton’s attentions? That had most certainly not been her intention, since she was too inexperienced to realise that he harboured any. She had thought him to be a lively and witty conversationalist, which he was, but she now knew it was all a ploy. More to the point, why had she got no preconceptions about his ulterior motives? Because she had been flattered by his attentions, a small voice inside her head suggested. Well, forewarned was forearmed. She would make a point of avoiding him as much as possible in the future.

  She could look after herself. Lady Mary’s problems were of more immediate concern. She had remarked to Flora that she rather enjoyed Captain Carlton’s society so if he decided to make her an offer, Lady Mary would probably be easily persuaded to accept him. And for all the wrong reasons. Flora simply could allow that to happen. She stood and quit the pavilion, striding purposefully back towards the house. The earl needed to know about the captain’s determination to lull Lady Mary into a marriage that would be loveless on his side, and at least this time she could assure his lordship that her information came from a more reliable source than her perceptions.

  *

  Fortunately, Luke could function on very little sleep, at least in the short term. The interminable dinners and entertainments laid on afterwards by Emma made it impossible for him to retire until the early hours. But he still rose with the dawn, either to take a solitary ride or to enjoy the peace and quiet in his library for a few hours before the rest of the household stirred.

  Today he had finished going through his correspondence with Paul and run out of excuses to linger. He glanced through the window and saw the party assembled on the banks of the lake, some of the gentlemen braving the punts and navigating the lake’s contours with varying degrees of skill. He raised a brow when he saw Alvin punting, with Emma seated in the bow. Politeness, or was there something more to his interest in Emma? Time would tell.

  He groaned as someone tapped at the door, intruding upon his privacy, even though a part of him knew that he had hidden himself away for too long. Provided it wasn’t Miss Carlton contriving an excuse to be alone with him, he would survive. He bade his caller enter and was surprised to see Miss Latimer walk through the door.

  ‘Is something wrong with my grandmother?’ he asked, half-rising from his chair.

  ‘No, but I need to speak with you about something that has happened.’

  ‘Another of your feelings?’ he asked, smiling to take the sting out of his words as he walked towards the comfortable chairs and ushered her into one of them. He took its twin as soon as she had settled herself, enjoying the intimacy of the moment. She was one of the few people beneath his roof whose interruption he welcomed. Miss Latimer had grown on him in the short time that she had been at Beranger Court. He enjoyed her fiery character and the manner in which she appeared to have blossomed now that she was away from her father’s influence. She had wrought wonders with his grandmother too, which was no mean feat.

  ‘What is it?’ he asked gently, when he realised he had been looking at her for a little too long. She must have been walking outside without a hat again, as evidenced by her untidy hair, the tinge of sunburn on her face and dusting of freckles across her nose. He suppressed a smile, thinking her behaviour typical of what little he knew about her unconventionality.

  ‘I have just overheard a troubling conversation that you ought to know about,’ she said.

  He felt a stirring of alarm as he took in the anxious set to her features. ‘Tell me.’

  She explained how her solitary ramble had been cut short when she unintentionally came upon Miss Carlton and her cousin. He thought it telling that Miss Latimer had taken a liking to the same part of the grounds that he himself often wandered through when he had a moment to spare and thorny problems to mull over. There were more formal, prettier places to meander but somehow the wilderness in the less public outdoor areas had always appealed to him. It was, as its name implied, more or less left to its own devices, much as he sometimes wished he could be. He sat forward and scowled when he learned of Carlton’s intention to woo one of his sisters, not caring which one responded to his advances.

  ‘You look ready to commit murder, my lord,’ she said, having given him a moment to digest what she had told him. ‘I am sorry to be the bearer of such bad news. But really, what else did you expect? It’s my understanding that parties such as this are treated as prime opportunities for those with marriage on their minds to go hunting for suitable mates.’ The suggestion of a challenging smile briefly touched her lips. ‘It would be unreasonable to suppose, do you not think, that just because this is your house, you are the only person in it with that intention?’

  ‘What makes you suppose that I am?’

  This time the smile materialised and she allowed it to do the speaking for her.

  ‘I should not mind if I thought Carlton at least had feelings for Mary,’ Luke said, tearing his gaze away from Miss Latimer’s far too enticing mouth, ‘but if he doesn’t care which of my sisters accepts him, it implies that he simply intends to marry in order to get his grubby hands on her dowry. I had heard that he’s short of blunt and you have just confirmed it.’

  ‘Soldiers don’t get paid a great deal, I imagine, and if he is a younger son…’ Flora allowed her words to trail off and spread her hands to emphasise her point. She made to stand. ‘I thought you should warn Lady Mary. I cannot do so. We get along well, but I am still effectively a servant and she will not thank me for interfering in her personal affairs.’

  ‘And because Carlton spends a lot of time talking to you, it might look as though you want him for yourself.’

  ‘How observant you are, my lord.’ Her bosom swelled, rather impressively, as she inhaled. ‘I do not encourage him, I can assure you of that much, and shall make a point of avoiding him in future.’

  ‘You need not, if you enjoy his company,’ Luke said, a little too grudgingly. ‘If he is looking for a rich wife then you will be safe.’

  She dealt him an aloof look, implying that his frankness had damaged her pride. Damn it, perhaps she did have feelings for the brute. Luke felt disappointed in her, having supposed she possessed more taste and common sense than that.

&
nbsp; ‘Your premonitions didn’t warn you away from him?’ he asked mildly.

  ‘It’s all very well for you to mock.’ She placed one hand on a slender hip and wagged the fingers of the other beneath his nose. Luke was hard pressed not to smile, unable to recall a time when anyone not directly related to him had last dared to wag a finger at him. ‘It is typical of those with closed minds to deride that which they do not comprehend.’

  ‘Miss Latimer.’ Luke spoke in a mildly chastising tone.

  ‘I apologise. I was rude.’ She lowered her head and Luke imagined her fighting against the urge to tell him that he deserved a good trimming. Indeed, she had apologised for being rude, but not for what she had said. ‘I just hope that a situation doesn’t arise when I feel compelled to prove my abilities to you. I cannot imagine that it ever will, so we would be better advised to forget that I mentioned them to you. The subject clearly makes you uncomfortable.’

  ‘Is there something else you wish to tell me about the overheard conversation?’ he asked, thinking it safer to turn their discourse in a different direction. She clearly believed that she had some sort of supernatural capacity. She had probably deliberately tried to develop it, to rebel against her strict Christian upbringing. A small victory against her father to be enjoyed in solitude. He would not snatch away her comfort blanket, just so long as she didn’t try to foist her scatty beliefs onto his family members. He suspected that she valued her position too much to risk doing so.

  ‘Actually, yes.’ She sat a little straighter. ‘Miss Carlton came here in the confident expectation of receiving your proposal.’ Luke flexed a brow and said nothing. ‘It seems that she has spies in your camp who assured her that was your intention.’

  ‘Good lord!’

  She had really shocked him now. He couldn’t abide disloyalty, and his servants were well aware of it. One or two who had spread gossip after one tankard of ale too many in the local tavern, the White Hart, had been summarily dismissed from their positions, with no second chances given. He assumed his firm action would have deterred others, but if Miss Latimer had heard right, then there were still those willing to spread tattle in return for financial compensation. Paul would need to discover the identity of the culprit so that the situation could be rectified.

  ‘Thank you for telling me,’ he said. ‘I shall deal with the matter.’

  She leaned towards him, eyes sparkling with interest. She had very expressive eyes, he noticed, choosing not to remind himself that he’d been fascinated by their deep violet hue upon first making her acquaintance, and every time that their paths had crossed since then. ‘Who do you suppose is responsible?’ she asked.

  ‘Hard to say.’ Luke crossed one ankle over his opposite thigh and leaned back in his chair. ‘I could be anyone, since I haven’t discussed my matrimonial intentions in anything other than the broadest of terms.’

  ‘Perhaps not, but the groom who collected me from the station told me that your engagement to Miss Carlton was a foregone conclusion. In other words, everyone hereabouts supposes that it will happen now, this week.’ She grinned at his discomfort. ‘You will disappoint the entire county if you don’t live up to their expectations and provide them with an excuse to make merry.’

  ‘I will not marry to satisfy the expectations of my neighbours.’ Luke pursed his lips, fighting a smile of his own despite the gravity of the situation. ‘Indeed, given what you have just told me, I am now less inclined to offer for Lily Carlton. Let’s hope that no one has wagered their life savings on that outcome,’ he added tersely.

  ‘What will you do about Lady Mary?’ she asked in a pensive tone. ‘Shall you warn her off the captain?’

  ‘No, I think not,’ Luke replied thoughtfully. ‘If I do, she will want to know why and I would feel compelled to tell her the truth. If I fabricate reasons to put her on her guard it will only encourage her to…well, you are a student of human nature.’

  ‘I am?’ She looked surprised by the observation.

  ‘I have watched you watching people, no doubt drawing conclusions about their characters based on their behaviour.’

  ‘Well, if that is the case, I got Captain Carlton entirely wrong,’ she said with a droll smile. ‘He had me completely fooled.’

  ‘Because you enjoyed his company, I would imagine. What young woman does not enjoy being sought out by a handsome and eligible individual?’

  ‘I cannot answer that question since it’s never happened to me before.’ Her expression darkened and Luke decided not to pursue the subject.

  ‘Be that as it may, you will know that if a person is told they cannot have something, especially if they are not told why, they will immediately want that particular something above all else. Mary will think I am being overprotective or that I disapprove of Carlton. Anyway, I will do the watching for now, and act if I think she is getting too close to him. I should be grateful if you would do likewise. If she says anything to you that you think I should know regarding her feelings for the cove, be so good as to tell me.’

  ‘So I am to be your spy,’ she said in a playful tone. Luke was unaccustomed to his employees doing anything other than obeying his orders absolutely. He couldn’t recall any of them ever teasing him and wasn’t quite sure whether to respond in kind or chastise her for her forwardness.

  ‘My eyes and ears, for Mary’s sake,’ he settled for saying.

  ‘Very well, and there seems no time like the present,’ she added, standing to point out the window.

  Luke stood too and groaned when he observed Alvin assisting Emma from a punt and Carlton helping Mary into the vacated craft.

  ‘I had best get out there,’ he said, striding towards the door and opening it so that Miss Latimer could step through it ahead of him.

  Chapter Twelve

  For Flora the joy had gone out of the party. The freedom to enjoy idle pleasures, a joy previously alien to her, had been tempered by the conversation she had overheard. The undercurrents—those she knew about and those she merely sensed—had become more pronounced. No declarations of intent or proposals of marriage had been forthcoming and the eligible parties were becoming increasingly anxious. She’d overheard one of the gentlemen having the temerity to take wagers upon whether or not the earl would actually propose and if so to whom. Miss Carlton, it seemed, was no longer odds-on favourite.

  Flora stood at the edge of the drawing room that evening after dinner, close enough to the countess’s chair to be on hand if required, listening politely as the daughters of the house played a lively duet on the pianoforte. The captain had escorted Lady Mary to table, making her laugh throughout the meal, and Flora could still see the animation those attentions had engendered sparkling in her eyes.

  Carlton, versed in the ways of the world, and knew how to make himself agreeable to an inexperienced girl of Lady Mary’s tender years. Flora feared for her. She had caught the earl watching his sister on several occasions. He did not look happy with the situation, and Flora felt rather sorry for him. He was damned if he warned his sister and even more comprehensively damned if he did not. Flora knew enough about the threat of eternal damnation to feel that her sympathy was justified.

  It was clear to her now that the earl had no intention of marrying Lily Carlton. Flora couldn’t help but feel relieved—for his sake. It would have been a mésalliance of epic proportions, and not just because Flora was now aware that Miss Carlton desired the match for reasons other than the kudos that becoming his countess would afford her. She had wracked her brains the entire afternoon but couldn’t decide what other motive she could possibly have. Her cash-strapped cousin requiring a wealthy wife he could understand. Many matches were arranged on that basis, and a fair number of them turned out to be congenial affairs. But that would not be the case for whoever had the misfortune to accept Captain Carlton. Under no circumstances could Lady Mary be permitted to fall for his toxic charm.

  ‘You look as though you have lost a guinea and found a farthing.’

&
nbsp; Flora shuddered when the captain’s lips almost touching her ear as he leaned in to whisper the words. She instinctively moved away from him, berating herself for wool-gathering and not keep an eye out for his approach so that she could avoid it. For a large man, he moved with the stealth of a cat when it suited his purpose. She had feared that he would seek her out sooner or later, and now knew why he had taken such a keen interest in her. Annoyingly, her senses had not given her advance warning. Her gift had always been sporadic and had deserted her in her time of need. There was no rhyme or reason to it, and she had no control over when it chose to exert itself. Grandmamma had told her there were ways to discipline one’s mind in order to achieve that control, but she had never dared to try it beneath her father’s austere eye. Now Grandmamma was in her grave and there was no one to advise her on how to go about it.

  ‘I was listening to the performance,’ she replied abstractedly, deliberately not looking at him but seeing in the periphery of her vision that her disinterest in his company had made him frown. ‘As you should be, too.’

  ‘I missed you earlier on the lake. Where were you? I had hoped to persuade you to take to a punt with me.’

  ‘Boats make me seasick.’

  He laughed loud enough for several heads to turn in his direction and frown. ‘It is only a lake and not very deep. There would have been no chance of your drowning. Besides, it’s an insult to my punting if you think I would have overset the craft.’

  ‘I don’t think about you at all, Captain Carlton. Prey excuse me. I think the countess has need of me.’

  She walked away from him, leaving him with his mouth hanging partially open. She glanced across the room at the earl. He had witnessed the exchange and sent her a brief nod of approval.

  The following afternoon Lady Emma had arranged a treasure hunt. Flora had helped to set and hide the clues, so was ineligible to take part. Instead, she and Lady Emma would act as referees. Flora frowned when she saw Captain Carlton petition Lady Mary to be his partner. Mary had sung his praises that morning, saying how entertaining she found him and how flattered she felt by his attentions.