by Amelia Grey
“Don’t thank me, young lady. We’re not through. I want to know what were you doing in the garden alone with Mr. Throckmorten.”
Gretchen lowered her head. “I arranged to meet him there.”
“Did he try to harm you? Is that why you hit him?”
“No, I got scared after I saw him in the garden. I asked him to leave, and he didn’t want to, so I picked up the statue and hit him.”
Daniel took a deep breath. He wanted to be firm with Gretchen and he wanted to throttle Throckmorten, but it was difficult when over the years Daniel had asked many different young ladies to meet him in secret. He’d always considered it human nature to want to break the rules.
He didn’t feel that way anymore. He was an earl now, and his sister’s guardian, and with that came certain responsibilities. Instead of breaking the rules, he needed to enforce them.
“What you did was serious, Gretchen. Do you realize that? If this got out I’m not sure we could repair your reputation.”
She looked up at him. “I knew it was wrong. But Mr. Throckmorten was so handsome I was flattered when he noticed me.”
“You will have plenty of handsome men noticing you. But they need to be the right young men. In the meantime you can’t agree to meet alone with any of them. Do I make myself clear on that?”
She nodded. “I promise I won’t do it again, Danny. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
“Good.” He took her arms down and held her hands in his. “I’m glad that you have faith that I know what is best for you, because I must insist that you have nothing else to do with Mr. Throckmorten or Miss Winslowe.”
Gretchen leaned back against her mountain of pillows. “Isabella? Why? I—”
“She and her aunt left you vulnerable to compromise, and I can’t forgive that. You should have never been allowed to roam freely in their garden. Your reputation could have sustained irreparable damage.”
Gretchen lowered her head. “It was my fault. Not theirs.”
He lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers forcing her to look at him. “It’s sweet of you to want to accept all the blame for this incident, but you can’t. It was Miss Winslowe’s group. You were in Miss Winslowe’s care, and she failed in her responsibility to you.”
“But I—”
“Shh,” he said with growing solicitude. “Do not cross me on this, Gretchen. Aunt Mattie has obviously allowed you too much freedom to choose your own friends and make your own plans. I intend to be more particular about who you associate with now that I’m home. And that is especially true for men such as Mr. Throckmorten.”
A contemptuous expression settled across Gretchen’s pretty face. “Don’t worry, Danny. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
He wanted that whole debacle over and done with.
“I need a promise that you’ll stay away from Miss Winslowe as well.”
“But I so enjoy our reading group. Please don’t take that away from me,” she pleaded.
“I must. I can’t trust you in her care. Now I want your word.”
Gretchen continued to hesitate for a moment but finally said, “I promise.”
“Good. Now, do you feel like getting out of this bed and dressing for the parties?”
Her eyes brightened. “Yes, if I didn’t kill Mr. Throckmorten, there’s no reason why I can’t go and enjoy the parties.”
“No reason at all. Now up and get dressed for the evening. A dance or two with the right gentleman is just what you need.”
Gretchen gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Danny.”
Daniel rose from the bed and looked down at his sister. “And I’ll take care of Miss Winslowe.”
Five
He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. It was insane, really. Miss Winslowe was the last woman he wanted to claim his attention, but for some strange reason he found himself looking for her among the gorgeously gowned women and faultlessly dressed gentlemen.
It was easy to tell himself that his only interest in her was to watch her and to make sure she stayed away from Gretchen. It was much harder to convince himself that was true.
The party had been a crush all evening with far too many people invited for Lord Gleningwold’s house. Every time Daniel thought he’d move on to another party in search of Boswell Throckmorten, he’d spot Miss Winslowe again and thoughts of leaving fled. He’d gone to the man’s house earlier, but he wasn’t home. Daniel wanted to make sure the man stayed away from Gretchen.
Isabella was especially captivating tonight in her low-cut gown adorned with pearls, lace, and a cascade of golden-colored ribbons flowing from the high waist. When he’d met her earlier, she had looked very prim and proper in her afternoon dress, bonnet, and cloak.
Tonight she looked stunning with her honey-colored hair swept up in curls. And all the other gentlemen in attendance knew it, too. She was not without plenty of beaux at her side.
Daniel had been introduced to a bevy of lovely young ladies throughout the evening. He’d even danced with three or four of them before he stopped signing dance cards. Halfway into his second dance Daniel hung his head over the prospect of spending the next five weeks going from party to party searching for a young lady who would make a suitable match.
When it came to a wife, Daniel didn’t even know what kind of lady he was looking for. How could he just consider appearance when they were all at least pretty if not downright lovely? Most of them seemed eager enough to secure his admiration and obtain his fancy, and some of them were pleasant to converse with.
How could he have known it would be so difficult to pick out a wife? No doubt an arranged marriage would have suited him fine. Not a one of the ladies he’d met so far tonight intrigued him like Miss Winslowe had.
She had captivated him. She was lovely with her blond hair threaded with ivory- and gold-colored ribbons and arranged neatly on top of her head. Her skin was a beautiful, tempting shade that made him think of lighted alabaster and it looked kissably soft.
He’d kept his distance from her all evening, but that hadn’t kept him from seeing that her green eyes sparkled with laughter and confidence whenever she talked. She was poised and charming with everyone she talked to. After their chaotic encounter this afternoon, he was certain he never wanted to see her again, but his eyes kept searching the crowd for her.
Miss Winslowe was obviously intelligent and challenging. She was also trouble. Daniel had enough to manage right now without getting interested in a lovely menace.
Maybe he should put off finding a wife for himself and concentrate on finding a husband for Gretchen. Yes, that seemed to be the more sensible thing to do. Once he had her safely betrothed to an acceptable gentleman, he could then turn his attention back to finding a young lady to marry.
Too, it was Gretchen’s first Season and he’d wanted to see her properly engaged before everyone started heading to their country homes to avoid the summer heat. He would have to do what his aunt Mattie had failed to do. He was going to see to it that Gretchen took calls from only the right gentlemen.
But at the back of Daniel’s mind was the thought of what would happen to the Colebrooke lands if he should meet with an unfortunate accident as his brother, who died before having an heir. Daniel couldn’t bear the thought of the estate going to his cousin Bradford Turnbury.
Daniel had no doubt Bradford would gamble away the family fortune and all the lands that weren’t entailed before a year was up. If Bradford’s father hadn’t left him a sizable yearly allowance, Daniel was sure the man would be in debtor’s prison by now.
Daniel’s attention strayed back to Miss Winslowe. She was talking to their host, Earl Gleningwold. She stood taller than the short and rotund man, but by the smile on the older man’s face she had enthralled him with her charm.
Her smile was bright. Not once had he seen her use her fan or flutter her lashes. She was much too poised to rely on such feminine devices to gain or hold a man’s attention.
It w
as no wonder she had a dozen young ladies in her Wallflower Club. He could see how she put everyone she talked to at ease. As he watched her, Daniel was struck by the realization that he was attracted to her the way a man was attracted to a woman he wanted in his bed.
Why was that? When the room was full of beautiful young ladies, why was his body telling him Miss Winslowe was the one he wanted?
“Have you met her?”
Daniel turned to see Chilton Cummerford standing beside him. “Who?”
“Don’t feign innocence with me, Danny. It won’t work. You haven’t been able to take your eyes off her since you arrived.”
“You lie.”
Chilton gave him a devious smile. “Not by much.”
“By enough.”
It was one thing for Daniel to admit his attraction to Miss Winslowe to himself but quite another to admit it to his best friend. And there was no way in hell he’d tell Chilton about the debacle that happened with Miss Winslowe earlier in the afternoon. Daniel only wanted to forget about that.
“I should be happy to introduce you.”
“To whom?” Daniel said with some smugness.
Chilton laughed. “All right, Danny. We’ll play this your way. To the lady you are watching. Miss Winslowe, of course.”
Daniel folded his arms across his chest and gave Chilton an annoyed look. “I think you deliberately misled me earlier in the day when you spoke of her.”
“Truly? In what way?”
“From the way you talked about her, I thought her to be a shriveled-up old spinster who had nothing better to do than stir up mischief.”
“Really? I don’t remember saying anything about her age. I believe I said I’d leave it to you to form your own opinion of her. And by the way you’ve been watching her, I’d say you have and it’s good.”
Daniel looked out over the crowded dance floor again. It had always been a nuisance that Chilton knew him so well. In his younger days it hadn’t bothered him, but now it did. Privacy was more important to him than it used to be.
“I’m not watching her specifically,” Daniel lied to his friend and felt no guilt in doing so. “This is my first party in over a year, remember? I’m looking over all the young ladies tonight.”
“In that case, come let me introduce you to Miss Winslowe.”
Daniel looked at his friend. “We’ve met.”
Chilton’s eyebrows shot upward. “You don’t say? When?”
“Earlier.”
“Did you find her charming?”
“Not in the least.”
Chilton grinned. “You lie.”
Daniel turned to his friend and smiled. “Not by much.”
“By enough.”
Chilton and Daniel both laughed heartily at their mimic of their earlier conversation. “It’s good to have you back in Town.”
Daniel nodded. He was glad to be back in London, but he didn’t look forward to the two tasks ahead of him. He needed to find a husband for Gretchen and a wife for himself before the Season ended. That didn’t give him much time.
“How has she escaped marriage?” Daniel asked, searching the room for Miss Winslowe again.
“Who?”
“Are we going there again?”
Chilton chuckled. “No. I guess not. It’s your first party, and already you’ve set your sights on the one lady you’re not likely to get.”
Daniel knew Chilton was issuing him a challenge that he fully expected Daniel would take him up on, but he wasn’t falling for that.
“Believe me, Chilton, I do not have any designs on her, but if I did, what makes you think I couldn’t entice her to marry me?”
“Miss Winslowe has made it clear to everyone she doesn’t want to make a match.”
It didn’t surprise Daniel that the lady would rather play her games than get serious about finding a husband to take her off the mart.
Thinking back to how she’d tried to trick him about Throckmorten, Daniel said, “My guess is that she’s not married because she hasn’t had any offers.”
“Think again, my friend. She’s had plenty of offers. At least three last year, maybe more.”
“Maybe less?” Daniel questioned.
“No. I’m sure of the three.”
“Suitable matches?”
“Yes. She even declined Viscount Traywick. She dances, smiles, and occasionally accepts calls but has shown no interest in making a match.”
“Have you called on her?”
“Me? No.” Chilton shook his head.
“Why?”
That same faraway expression that Daniel had noticed earlier eased across Chilton’s face. “For now, I’m satisfied with the mistress I’m seeing. As I told you earlier, I have no need to marry.”
That was Chilton’s second reference to being content, yet his friend didn’t have the look of a contented man. He didn’t seem restless as he had in their youth, it was more a sad resignation. Daniel sensed something was wrong, but tonight wasn’t the time to ask him about it. But Daniel would if Chilton didn’t speak up soon.
“Perhaps there’s a reason she hasn’t married,” Daniel said, thinking she must be up to all different kinds of trickery.
“There was a bit of a story about her father abandoning her for his new wife, but I have no idea how much of it is true.”
“That could be part of the problem. She has no father or older brother or uncle to keep her in line? Who’s her sponsor?”
“An aunt. Miss Pithany Winslowe.”
“Yes, I’ve met her in the past. She’s a well-respected lady.”
“Lord Colebrooke, may I be so forward as to intrude for a moment?”
Daniel turned and looked into the long lean face of Thomas Wright. A tall, thin, brown-haired young lady stood beside him looking down at the floor.
“Of course, Tom, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. How are you?”
“Good, my lord, and you?”
“Quite well.”
“If it’s convenient, I’d like to present my sister, Miss Amanda Wright.”
Daniel assured him it was, and introductions, bows, and greetings were exchanged by all, including Chilton, who promptly excused himself shortly after Amanda Wright was introduced. Daniel couldn’t help but notice that Amanda was comely enough with small brown eyes and shapely lips, but she barely opened her mouth when she talked and she wouldn’t look at him.
He kept thinking she’d be so much prettier if she looked him in the eyes and smiled when she talked to him. He wondered why she acted so shy. She would do well to learn a few things from the confident Miss Winslowe.
“Lovely party,” Tom said. “Lord Gleningwold and his countess always give a splendid affair.”
“Indeed. I trust the rest of your family is well, Tom?”
“In good health, yes.”
Daniel was certain Thomas had brought his sister over in hopes she would catch Daniel’s eye. Daniel wondered if somehow Tom knew that he was interested in him for Gretchen. He wasn’t the most handsome of men, but he came from a respectable family. He wasn’t much of a drinker, and as far as Daniel knew he wasn’t into gambling, either. That made him a far better catch for Gretchen than most of the acceptable men in London.
Daniel needed to make sure Thomas knew that a call on Gretchen would be not only acceptable but welcomed.
“Perhaps we can have a drink at White’s later in the week.”
Thomas’s face reddened with excitement. “I should look forward to it, my lord.”
“Good.”
Over Tom’s shoulder Daniel saw Miss Winslowe talking to Gretchen. He tensed. He’d told both of them to stay away from the other. He wasn’t surprised that Miss Winslowe hadn’t listened to him, but considering all the trouble Gretchen had been in, she should have heeded his warning.
“Excuse me, Tom, Miss Wright. I see someone I must speak to.”
Daniel made his way over to where his sister and Miss Winslowe stood. He was stopped three times
for introductions to young ladies before he managed to reach the other side of the room.
Gretchen looked up at him with a big smile. Looking at her tonight no one would ever know that only a few hours ago she’d thought she’d killed someone. Beneath her spectacles he could see that the redness and swelling had faded from her eyes, and the worried wrinkles were gone from her brow.
“Gretchen. Miss Winslowe,” he said tightly, trying not to sound as adversarial as he felt when he stopped in front of them.
“Lord Colebrooke,” Miss Winslowe said stiffly, but not without an appropriate smile. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Why so?”
“I would have thought you’d be out slaying dragons for some damsel in distress.”
“Distress no doubt caused by some pranks you’ve been up to, Miss Winslowe.”
She gave him a dazzling smile, and Daniel’s lower body reacted to her. Knowing what trickery she was capable of, it was unbelievable how attracted he was to her.
“Well, if it weren’t for troublemakers like me… gallant gentlemen like you would have no dragons to slay.”
“I should love for that day to arrive so I can concentrate on important matters.”
“Are you two arguing?” Gretchen asked, confused.
“No,” Daniel and Miss Winslowe said in unison.
“Gretchen, I want you to come with me,” Daniel said. “I want to introduce you to Mr. Thomas Wright and his sister Amanda.”
“Oh, Danny.” Gretchen laughed with comfortable abandon. “I already know both of them quite well. Amanda is in our Reading Society that meets at Isabella’s house. You are the one who’s been away, not I.”
“In that case, just come with me. We don’t want to hold up, Miss Winslowe. I’m sure she has another ruse to attend to.”
“Really, Daniel, I’m not a child who—” Suddenly Gretchen stopped and her eyes widened as if she’d seen a ghost.
Isabella and Daniel turned around to see what had caused Gretchen to turn so pale.
Mr. Boswell Throckmorten walked into the room looking more dapper than any man had the right to look.
Daniel couldn’t help but smile, and his voice dripped with sarcasm as he said, “It doesn’t appear as if anyone touched a hair on his head to me. Certainly not with a marble statuette of Cupid. In fact, I do believe Mr. Throckmorten is the healthiest-looking dead man I’ve ever seen.” He looked specifically at Miss Winslowe and said, “Don’t you think so?”