by Amelia Grey
“Must you gloat with so much enthusiasm?” Isabella asked.
Daniel’s smile turned to a satisfied grin. “It’s not every day a man gets to witness a dead man walking.”
“And it’s not every day that a lady meets so arrogant a man who passed himself off as a gentleman.”
“I’m so relieved he’s not dead,” Gretchen said.
“Yes. We all are,” Isabella added, looking pointedly at Daniel.
“Some of us never believed he was dead in the first place,” Daniel answered confidently.
Gretchen said, “I don’t know why I thought I had killed him.”
“You probably never even struck him, Gretchy,” Daniel said. “But I think you’ve learned your lesson about walking alone in gardens where you’re at risk. And what kind of people you need to associate with.”
Gretchen nodded in answer to Daniel but didn’t take her gaze off Mr. Throckmorten until he walked into another room.
“Good. I suggest we all put this matter out of our minds and forget it happened,” he said, looking straight at Miss Winslowe. He wanted to leave no doubt that he was mainly talking to her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak to Mr. Throckmorten to make sure he doesn’t accidentally stroll into your back garden again.”
“How kind of you to offer, sir,” Isabella said as calmly as if she talked about the weather. “I’m quite capable of speaking to the gentleman myself. I don’t need you to handle anything for me.”
“Are you two arguing again?” Gretchen asked again.
“No,” Daniel and Miss Winslowe answered.
“Then, if you two will excuse me, I need to go to the retiring room,” Gretchen said and walked away.
At once Lord Colebrooke stepped closer to Miss Winslowe and in a low voice said, “I told you to stay away from my sister.”
She didn’t flinch but remained staring boldly into his eyes. “Or you’ll do what, my lord?”
“A word or two from me and you will no longer be welcome in anyone’s house in London.”
“I do believe you have me shaking in fear, Lord Colebrooke,” she snipped.
“You need to be. I will not let you ruin Gretchen’s reputation with your Wallflowers Society.”
Her shoulders lifted and her chin came up. “Are you always so boorish and ill-mannered to innocent ladies?”
“Just ladies like you, Miss Winslowe, are the only ones who need to fear me.”
“Fear you, my lord? That won’t happen.”
He wasn’t so sure he appreciated the fact he couldn’t intimidate her, but it did spark a bit of admiration in him. “I don’t care which way you take what I’m saying. Just stay away from my sister.”
“Gretchen approached me tonight, and I am not as impolite as you are. You do what you must. I will not rebuff her if she speaks to me.”
Someone clapped Daniel on the back. “Who’s this? My long traveled cousin, the Earl of Colebrooke. How long have you been in Town?”
Daniel forced his gaze away from Miss Winslowe to look into the blurry eyes of Bradford Turnbury. It was just Daniel’s luck that Bradford would show up while he was having a heated conversation with Miss Winslowe.
Daniel had never cared for his cousin. As a young lad he had been cruel to his animals, and he was always picking a fight with Daniel’s older brother. Bradford had learned early that Daniel didn’t have the passive personality of his older brother, so he made a point of not starting trouble when Daniel was around. On more than one occasion Daniel was forced to come to his brother’s aid.
“I hope I haven’t interrupted a serious conversation,” Bradford said. “You both seem so intense.”
“Bradford,” Daniel said tightly, refusing to even acknowledge his inappropriate comments. “You haven’t changed a bit, I see.”
Bradford smiled broadly. “So true, Danny. You haven’t bothered to write in over a year.”
Daniel grimaced. He hated for Bradford to call him Danny, but he had learned long ago that the more he tried to keep Bradford from using the name, the more he said it.
“I’ve been busy,” Daniel said, noticing his cousin’s flushed face, the puffiness and dark circles around his cousin’s dark brown eyes. He was well-dressed but looked much too thin for his tall frame. It was clear he’d already had too much to drink.
“No doubt.” Bradford bowed to Miss Winslowe. “How are you this evening, Miss Winslowe?”
“Well, Mr. Turnbury, and you?”
“Couldn’t be better. You are looking beautiful tonight.”
She smiled graciously. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Daniel didn’t like the expression on Bradford’s face when he looked at Miss Winslowe. It reminded Daniel of a man who wanted to ravish a woman.
Bradford faced Daniel. “And might I add that my son is in excellent health, too.”
“Good,” Daniel said, knowing he was going to see that this man did not inherit the title Earl of Colebrooke. By the looks of him, he was drinking himself into an early grave.
“I had heard you were returning to London—and to claim a bride.”
“I’m sure the thought chills you, Bradford, but it is time for me to marry.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” his cousin said. “The sooner the better as they say. We never know what the future will bring, do we?”
It didn’t surprise Daniel that Bradford referenced his brother’s death. That was just another of his bad habits.
“I believe you two gentlemen have a lot of catching up to do,” Isabella said. “Would you excuse me?”
“Don’t go,” Bradford said.
“I was…” Isabella said.
“She was…” Daniel said.
“Just leaving,” they said in unison.
“What a coincidence,” Bradford said. “So was I, but before I do—Miss Winslowe, I hear a dance about to start. Would you do me the honor of joining me, if you haven’t already committed this dance to another?”
“I haven’t promised, but I”—she hesitated a moment before smiling and saying—“I’d be delighted to be your partner. Thank you for asking.”
“Wonderful. See you later, old chap,” Bradford said to Daniel as he and Isabella walked away.
Daniel felt an unusual tightness in his chest as they disappeared into the crowd. He didn’t want his cousin dancing with Miss Winslowe. He didn’t want him touching her, smiling at her. And he didn’t even want his cousin looking at her and wanting her in the way Daniel wanted her.
It was crazy what he was feeling for her. It was clear she didn’t like him. Nor he her. Yet he wanted her. What kind of madness was this? Had she bewitched him in some way?
Daniel shook off those feelings. Enough of Miss Winslowe. He had to go find Throckmorten. Daniel wanted to make sure the scoundrel never approached Gretchen again.
Six
“He was so charming when I was presented to him,” Joanne Langley told the gathering of young ladies who stood around her in the retiring room. “Lord Colebrooke looked into my eyes and smiled at me with such delight in his face. I thought I was going to melt into the floor like spring snow.”
“I was the first lady he asked to dance,” Alice Eldridge said with a satisfied smile spreading her generous lips wide. “And I simply felt faint with heat when he looked at me.”
“I felt the same way when he danced with me,” Lady Katherine Spearmont announced as she fluttered her fan under her pointy chin. “He indicated he is going to ask to call on me later in the week.”
“How did he indicate that?” Lady Lynette Knightington asked with more than a little interest in the earl.
“Yes, I want to hear this, too,” Alice said. “Maybe he indicated he was going to call on me.”
Isabella turned away from the young ladies’ discussion. They were chatting and laughing about events of the evening as well as the dashing Earl of Colebrooke. From the sighs and mewling it appeared he’d stolen all their hearts with a few smiles and three or four dances.
What rubbish, she thought. It was clear to her that none of the ladies had seen the side of Lord Colebrooke that Isabella had seen. She was tempted to tell them he was the most arrogant man she’d ever had the misfortune to meet but decided they would think her insane.
She didn’t know why she’d accepted the dance with Mr. Bradford Turnbury. She really didn’t like the man. He always smelled of liquor. But when he’d asked her to dance in front of Lord Colebrooke, something unexplainable had come over her. She’d had this maddening feeling that she wanted to make the earl jealous. Where that had come from she had no idea. The very thought of it was ludicrous.
Lord Colebrooke had repeatedly let her know he had nothing but disdain for her. He couldn’t care less who she talked to or with whom she danced. She had to get over this peculiar infatuation she had developed for him. It was disturbing her peace of mind and making her behave in the oddest manner.
And to make matters worse, now she had the headache. Too many perplexing things had happened today. Thinking Mr. Throckmorten was dead was bad enough, but then she was scorned unmercifully by Lord Colebrooke and later to see Mr. Throckmorten looking well-turned-out and charming as ever was just too much. She passed by the man not half an hour ago, and he smiled at her as if he’d never been found dead cold in her garden.
There was nothing to do now but go home and lie down. Tomorrow would be better. Yes, she would find Auntie Pith and make her excuses. They would go home and put an end to this most unusual day.
Isabella interrupted the ladies and said her good-byes. She lowered her forehead to her hand and rubbed it as she walked out the door. Not watching where she was going, she immediately bumped into someone. She looked up and found herself staring straight into the golden brown eyes of Lord Colebrooke.
“Oh, excuse me,” she said, feeling that odd fluttering sensation in her stomach again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“Another bad habit, Miss Winslowe?” he asked.
She was not up to matching wits with him but neither could she let his rude comment pass without answer. She lifted her chin and her shoulders a notch and answered, “I’m just full of them, my lord, and no doubt you will see each one.”
His eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly and low. “I’m ready for anything you have.”
Isabella couldn’t believe she’d said such an outlandish thing. What was she doing issuing a challenge to the most popular earl in London? This was no way to become as well-respected in Town as her aunt. She should learn to curb her tongue when this man was around.
She had all intentions of walking away without further comment, but as she made to brush past him, he touched her upper arm and stopped her. Even through the thickness of her evening gloves, Isabella felt as if a red hot heat had pierced her skin.
Isabella looked up into his eyes again, and something tangible passed between them. It made her tremble, but she didn’t know what it was. The surprise she saw in his eyes let her know that he had felt it, too, and was just as shaken.
Lord Colebrooke dropped his arm to his side and cleared his throat before saying, “Excuse me, Miss Winslowe, but before you go, could you tell me if my sister is in there?” He pointed to the room that had been set aside for the ladies to have privacy and rest.
In order to break the spell of staring into the mesmerizing depths of his eyes, she looked away from him and to the room she’d just vacated.
She felt the need to clear her throat, too. “No,” she answered. “Gretchen isn’t in there.”
Concern flashed across the earl’s face.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
“No. I’m sure not. I’m ready to go to another party, but I can’t find Gretchen. I’ve looked the house over.” His brows drew closer together. “Are you sure she isn’t inside?”
Isabella watched him closely, feeling his distress. “I’m quite sure. Must I insist again that I would not lie to you regarding your sister or anything else?”
His brow softened a little. “All right, I’m sure I’ve just missed her. I’m worried about her after the afternoon’s events.”
A chill splintered through Isabella, and she didn’t like where her thoughts were heading. Gretchen had admitted to her that she’d arranged the meeting with Mr. Throckmorten in her garden. The man was in attendance this evening. Could it be possible that Gretchen had planned another secret rendezvous even after what had happened this afternoon in the garden?
Isabella didn’t want to alarm Lord Colebrooke, but she had to ask, “As you looked for Gretchen, did you by chance see Mr. Throckmorten in any of the rooms?”
His worry faded into an angry scowl, and Isabella was sure she’d voiced what he’d been thinking.
“No, I’ve been looking for him all evening and I keep missing him.”
“Well, then,” Isabella said, taking charge, “perhaps we should take a walk outside and tour the gardens to see whom we may find.”
She felt him tense more as he said, “What are you suggesting, Miss Winslowe?”
“I think you know what I’m saying, sir. Now, do you want to find Gretchen or do you want to pretend there is no way she would defy you and the rules of convention and take an unapproved walk with a gentleman?”
“I’m capable of looking in the garden. I don’t need your help.”
“But if she is indeed there, Gretchen might need the comfort of a lady when you find her. I’m going with or without your permission.”
“Very well, but don’t offer any comment. This really isn’t any of your concern.”
“I wouldn’t dream of interfering.”
Lord Colebrooke chuckled and Isabella felt her spirits lift. It was a beautiful sound that settled around her and made her feel wonderful all over. For a brief moment, in laughter, his face was completely free of concern and disdain, and she glimpsed the man all the young ladies had lost their hearts to. He was so magnificent she was left breathless.
Isabella was as captivated by him as the young ladies she’d just left.
“Come along, Miss Winslowe,” he said. “We’ve no time to waste.”
Side by side they worked their way through the crowded rooms toward the French windows that led to the back gardens. Their progress was delayed. Lord Colebrooke was stopped by a duchess, an earl, and three pushy mamas all wanting to make introductions. They finally stepped through the patio doors and outside.
Isabella saw the evening was heavy with a smoky gray mist. Several people were outside talking and laughing, while others milled around the abundant grounds of the house. The Earl of Gleningwold’s house was famous for its gardens with its great walls of yew. His great-grandfather had purposefully made the house small so that he would have more area to plant his trees, shrubs, and flowers.
The grounds were noted for their nooks, crannies, and arbors that led into rooms of lush greenery. There were two lily ponds and a two-tiered fountain on the premises and three well-manicured knot gardens. It was a spectacular place to visit during the day, but on an evening like this the high yews and shrubs made it all appear ominous.
It was the perfect garden for a couple to wander the grounds and find a spot to hide so they could steal a few kisses. And tonight’s low-lying mist added an extra unexpected cover.
Isabella stopped at the top of the limestone steps and asked, “Should we part and you take one side and I the other?”
Lord Colebrooke shook his head as he carefully looked at the other couples who were outside. “No. I think the best way to handle this is for you and me to appear as though we are strolling through the gardens conversing.”
She held back a smile that threatened her lips and said, “Oh, you mean you want us to walk around and talk as if we approve of each other?”
A half grin lifted one corner of his mouth. “That would be a stretch, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, I suppose it would, but for Gretchen, I’m willing to make the sacrifice.”
Isabella let
the cool air of night fill her lungs as she lifted the hem of her gown and started down the steps. Daniel stayed by her side on the crushed stone pathway that led into the center of the grounds.
“This is the perfect night for anyone who wanted to have an assignation in a garden,” Lord Colebrooke said.
“It’s impossible to see more than a few feet in front of us. Let’s hope we don’t find Gretchen out here.”
“I can assure you that is my hope, Miss Winslowe. After our discussion this afternoon, I can’t believe she would agree to meet anyone in the garden—especially Throckmorten.”
The grass that had grown in between the footstones was moist, and it wasn’t long before Isabella felt the wetness seep through her soft-soled shoes. The damp mist soon penetrated her thin gown, chilling her to the bone, but she would have rather gotten consumption than complain to the earl. Any other gentleman would have been aware of the chilly night and offered her his coat.
“Is there any chance she went home early with your aunt?” Isabella asked.
“No. Aunt Mattie didn’t come when she found out that I would be escorting Gretchen. She’s been out with Gretchen every night for a week and was relieved to have an evening at home.”
They had wandered far enough away that they no longer heard the laughter and talking of the people on the patio, and they had lost all light from the house, too. Isabella could barely see Lord Colebrooke even though he was walking very close to her.
Just past one of the lily ponds they came to a fork in the garden. Isabella said, “You take the east and I’ll take the west.”
“I don’t think so, Miss Winslowe. We will stay together.”
“But we can cover so much more of the gardens looking separate.”
“Yes, but what if I were to find Gretchen and you were still wandering out here somewhere in the dark? No, we stay together. We can walk much faster now that we are away from the house.”