Glitter

by Abbi Glines

  She pursed her red lips in a pout. “You would rather dance? I can think of other things to be done out in the far garden. There is a shed… it’s unlocked.”

  How she knew there was a shed that was unlocked should be alarming in itself. How many times had she taken a man to this shed? This wasn’t her home. Did she converse with the gardener before arrival?

  “As tempting as that may be, I do hold the highest respect for Lord Gallagher. You do understand,” I replied with my most charming of smiles before walking away from her in fear she may grab my arm and sink her nails into my skin.

  She was a beauty and she was well-practiced in the art of sex. I had no doubt if I went with her, I’d enjoy myself at the moment. She would make it an experience to remember. However, I was but a mister and her husband was a wealthy powerful duke. I wasn’t going to the gallows for a tryst in the gardener’s shed.

  I glanced over to see Lydia Ramsbury surrounded by several gentlemen. She didn’t seem to be hurting for attention, but then Ashington didn’t seem to care that she was so popular either. He was paying no mind to her or her suitors. As I neared them, I noticed Miriam’s aunt smiling and nodding happily. Miriam seemed pleased about something too and a little… shy. I’d never seen such a look on her face. Was she blushing?

  After being stopped only two more times, I finally made my way to the three of them. Ashington turned to see me when Lady Welligton’s eyes met mine and widened as they oft did.

  Ashington appeared unhappy to see me and that said all I needed to know. He was set on Miriam Bathurst, it would seem. Not what I had hoped. This would be more difficult. Miriam was not someone I could easily use. I had allowed myself to know her and I liked too much what I knew.

  “Good evening, ladies. Ashington,” I said in greeting.

  “Mr. Compton, it’s nice to see you,” Lady Wellington said, but I wasn’t sure she meant that. Her voice sounded unsure. Had my brother charmed them both so quickly?

  “Nicholas,” Ashington said.

  Miriam said nothing and that spoke more than anything else. She had already called me out on what she considered a game and now she was seeing my sudden appearance as part of that game. She was wrong. This wasn’t a game. It was revenge. It was more than a silly game. I wasn’t here to prove anything to my brother. I was going to humiliate him the way he had humiliated my mother. She may make that plan more difficult by being so acutely aware of the happenings around her as if he had just chosen Lydia, my task would have been so simple.

  “I believe I am next on the lady’s card,” I informed them, although I knew not where I was on her card. I had just arrived and I didn’t know who she had danced with up until this point.

  “You aren’t on my card tonight, sir,” Miriam replied with a false sweetness to her voice. It sounded like a challenge, however, and oh how I liked challenges.

  “Are you quite certain?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  She nodded. “Yes. Most positive.”

  At that moment, Mr. Needs appeared several feet behind Ashington as if he was unsure if he should approach further. I wasn’t sure what he was doing when Miriam stepped forward to take his arm. “Mr. Needs is next on my card, it would seem.”

  I watched as they walked toward the dance floor.

  Ashington cleared his throat. “It seems, Nicholas, you arrived too late this evening,” he said.

  I forced a smile for the sake of Lady Wellington. “It does seem that way. I shall not make that mistake again.” It was a warning. One I knew my brother would understand.

  “Oft it only takes one late arrival to change the course,” he replied then he turned to Lady Wellington. “As always, it was a pleasure. I will leave you with the company of Mr. Compton. Both of us can be more than any one lady must endure,” he said, causing her to laugh then cover her mouth and blush furiously.

  Then, by God, Ashington winked. He fucking winked.

  Turning, I watched Ashington walk away. Not toward Lydia Ramsbury but off to a corner that was empty. He stopped, directed his gaze toward Miriam and Needs on the dance floor, crossed his arms over his chest and stood there. It was a claim and everyone watching him knew it. There was no mistaking his meaning.

  I looked back at Lady Wellington whose eyes were, once again, wide with wonder. She appeared to be as surprised by the turn of events as I was. What must I have missed in the short moments Miriam and Ashington were outside on the veranda? There had to be more to it than that.

  “It would seem my brother has turned his attentions,” I commented, hoping for more information.

  Lady Wellington nodded still watching him. “I do believe you might be right,” she whispered as if others were listening to us. There was always the possibility of such but rarely did I spend any care on the matter. “Miriam is truly a rare gem, but she makes it hard for others to see. She’s so guarded. It would seem Lord Ashington saw past her … walls.”

  My brother saw something and I could easily list all he was attracted to in Miriam Bathurst. A man would have to be deaf, mute, and blind not to find himself drawn to her.

  “Miss Bathurst has managed to find some good in him, I presume?” I asked, knowing full well last I spoke with Miriam she wasn’t fond of Ashington.

  Lady Wellington lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “I have no idea. Honestly, this is all rather fascinating, isn’t it? Here I thought a season in London would be boring and stuffy. I had no idea the drama that could come of it.”

  Smiling at her rather candid response, I did so enjoy conversing with Lady Wellington. She was always amusing. “Never a dull moment,” I agreed. However, I had preferred my brother’s choice in a wife to be dull, indeed. He was rather boring, so it would make sense that he chose a countess equally so. Yet, here he stands watching the most interesting bright light in the room or make that all of England. Miriam Bathurst had managed to take his attentions from Lydia with no effort at all. She had merely been herself.

  With a sigh of regret, I watched her smile at Mr. Needs and wish this could all be different. It was one thing to seek revenge for one’s mother. It was another to lose what could possibly be one’s future happiness. My brother would never make Miriam Bathurst happy. He would force upon her a life she would never fit into or desire to do so. Whereas with me, she could continue to be exactly as she is and I would enjoy every moment.

  Did Ashington know I was drawn to Miriam? Is that why he was doing this? Had the revenge been turned on me and I hadn’t realized his move? Miriam was not a chess piece to be played. How could I sit back and watch him use her?

  How far was I willing to go for revenge?

  Chapter Twenty

  Miriam Bathurst

  I couldn’t remember a time in my life that joy had burst within me so brilliantly than when Whitney stepped inside the door of 18 Mayfair Street. Tears filled my eyes and my chest felt so full it might burst. I stopped but a moment on the steps and took in her angelic face before sprinting toward her, unable to believe she was finally here.

  Her laughter rang through the entry way and my world was once again complete. I found myself in a mixture of laughter and tears as I held her, unable to let go. Although I had been watching for her carriage to arrive from the window in my room all morning, I was still afraid this was a dream.

  “Let the girl breathe, child.” Uncle Alfred’s deep voice came from behind us. I eased my tight hold on her and pulled back unable to completely let her go.

  “You’re here,” I said in awe.

  “Yes!” she replied gleefully. “And you’re crying!”

  I laughed again and wiped at the tears on my face. “I have missed you so. Tis all.”

  She looked around in wonder. “With all this around you, how did you have time to miss me? It’s beautiful.”

  “I would miss you if I were in the Queen’s castle,” I assured her then held her face in my hands to look upon it. She was truly here with me.

  “I promised you I’d get Ada to send her
, did I not? You’ll one day learn to trust me,” Uncle Alfred said as he approached us.

  Whitney looked from me to our uncle who I knew she had never met. The time he had visited our home, I had been so young, even I didn’t remember. I followed her gaze and smiled at the tall, broad shouldered, brusque man that had been so very generous to us all.

  “Yes, you did promise me and I didn’t doubt you. Tis my mother, I fear, I doubted,” I replied.

  He made a tsking sound, as if my mother held no real power, then turned his attention to Whitney. “We are pleased to have you here, dear. You look much like your mother at that age. However, from what Miriam tells me, you do not have her demeanor and for that we are all grateful,” he said with a booming voice.

  “Alfred!” Aunt Harriet scolded loudly. “Don’t talk about the girl’s mother so. She’s just arrived.”

  Uncle Alfred turned to look back at his wife, as she hurried toward us having missed Whitney’s arrival. “How many days do I wait then until I may speak plainly in front of her? Miriam does not seem to mind. Do you, dear?” he asked me then.

  Grinning, I looked over at Whitney who was watching the entire thing with a look of pure amusement on her face. She smiled brightly at me and then giggled. “One cannot mind what is the truth, Uncle. It is alright, Aunt Harriet. Whitney has lived in the same house with our mother just as I have. She holds no illusions of her.”

  Aunt Harriet smiled softly then and took a step closer to Whitney. “Oh, you are as lovely as your sister said. She talked of little else. We are so glad to have you here with us. Our home is your home. We want you to feel comfortable here. I’ve had your luggage taken to the room across the hall from Miriam’s. However, Miriam did mention you shared a room at home. If you would prefer to sleep in her room then that is completely up to you. We are just overjoyed to have both of you girls here now.”

  Whitney glowed under the warm welcome, and although I never doubted they would make her feel less than, I was so very grateful for their generosity. In her last letter, I could tell how excited she was to be coming, but she was concerned about her being a problem or in the way. Aunt Harriet would have one more daughter and it was clear she was ecstatic about it.

  “We are happy to have you both in our London home. Harriet will see to your needs and then some. If you ladies will excuse me before the gossip magazines and the chocolates come out, I must retire to my office to handle some pressing matters,” Uncle Alfred announced.

  Aunt Harriet ignored his remark about her two vices but her eyes did widen a bit as she asked, “Do you enjoy chocolates, honey?”

  Whitney thought for a moment then nodded. “Yes, I believe so. I’ve only had them once at a Christmas party we attended a few years ago.”

  “The Rockinghams,” I added, remembering all too well the abundance of food at the party. Until now that had been the most elaborate home and party I had attended. London, however, made it pale in comparison. Oh, if only Whitney could go to a ball.

  “Yes! The Rockinghams,” she said happily. “They had an entire table of chocolates. All shapes and colors. I had never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”

  “You also went to bed with a very bad stomach ache,” I added.

  Whitney blushed. “I was but only eight,” she replied.

  Aunt Harriet laughed then. “Eight! I would have a stomach ache now if I were presented with a table of chocolates and I am… well, I will not disclose that number,” she then added with a wink. “Come ladies. Let’s go to Whitney’s new room and help her get things put away. Then we can have tea and chocolates. I must hear all about life in the country.”

  I knew there wasn’t much for Whitney to tell. Our life at home did not compare to the life Aunt Harriet lived whilst in the countryside. I would wait to explain that though. For now, I was too anxious for Whitney to see the bedroom she would call her own while here.

  “I didn’t get much chocolate in America. My family is large and very close, but we aren’t wealthy people. My father is a hard worker and always made sure we never went without, but I had never seen the side of life Alfred has shown to me. It is a miracle he still wanted to marry me after giving me my first chocolate on but our second outing. I must have looked like a wild animal given a fresh piece of meat. It had been the most wonderful thing I’d ever tasted. I knew I loved him then.”

  Whitney was hanging on every word of Aunt Harriet’s story. I smiled as we climbed the stairs, wondering how long it was going to take for her to realize Aunt Harriet wasn’t wearing slippers or stockings. I had mentioned that habit to her in my letters, but she was so overwhelmed with everything on her arrival, I doubted very much she was thinking about our Aunt’s feet at the moment.

  “That’s a lovely story,” Whitney said. “You married for love then? It wasn’t a match made by your father?”

  Aunt Harriet laughed loudly. “My daddy knew better than to marry me off to a man of his choosing. He had raised his daughters to be strong and independent. When I met your uncle, he never said one word against him. He simply told me he wanted me to be happy. When your uncle asked him for my hand in marriage, he replied, ‘If she wants to marry you then yes. But I’ll be givin’ her to you to protect and provide for. The day you decide you don’t wanna do that no more or the day that mouth of sass makes you so angry you want to slap it, you just bring her on back to me. Don’t ever hurt my girl or that day will be your last. Make no mistake ‘bout that.’”

  I had never heard this story, and like Whitney, I was paused at the top of the stairs, listening to Aunt Harriet talk with a strange accent as she repeated her father’s words.

  “Your father said that?” Whitney asked, sounding as amazed as I was.

  Aunt Harriet nodded. “Of course he did. He told the same thing to my five sisters’ husbands as well.” Then she began walking down the long hallway toward the door that would be Whitney’s.

  Whitney looked over at me with wide eyes full of wonder. She had never been around anyone as colorful as Aunt Harriet. If that story entertained her, there were more where it came from. I was so happy to have her close to me again. Thinking of all I had to show her and all I wanted her to experience in London made my heart feel lighter than it had in years.

  She was going to love it here.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Earl of Ashington

  Laughter rang down the staircase followed by Alice’s voice of correction. They were leaving two days early to go to the country and get settled in. I had struggled with this decision for several days, not sure if it was best for Emma to remain here or accompany me to Chatwick Hall. Leaving her here meant that anyone could stop by and there was that small chance she could be visible, even if the visitor never made it past the door. Nicholas being my primary concern.

  Taking her with me could mean that she would need to be explained to the Wellingtons and to Miriam. In truth, I would need to test the ground with Miriam and Emma soon enough. See how Miriam responds to the idea that I have a ward and I would expect my future wife to aid me in proper rearing of Emma. However, I did feel it could be much too soon for that introduction just yet. I was still getting to know Miriam and now this was a chance to spend time with not only her but her sister, aunt and uncle. I knew little of them and they would be a part of her life. For Emma’s sake, I must measure all their worth. Relying on an attraction to a beautiful woman was not enough.

  In the end, I had decided taking Emma to the country, but not keeping her inside Chatwick Hall, would be my best way to protect her. There was a former Dowager house on the grounds that hadn’t been occupied since my grandmother resided there. I had sent to have it spruced up and staffed for Alice and Emma. It sat far enough back on the land that the small light it would give off at night would seem as if it were a neighboring home.

  There were, of course, holes in my plan, but of all my options, this was the one I was most comfortable with and having Emma close was important. I could protect her if she were th
ere, while if she were here, I was too far away if someone were to see her, meaning I wouldn’t be able to do so. I hated having to keep her in this small bubble, but until I was married and the story was set into motion, she must live this way if I was to hope for her to have a future she deserved as a Compton.

  “Ashington! We are going on a trip! We are going on a trip!” Emma sang gleefully as she skipped toward me after bouncing off the bottom step.

  “Indeed we are,” I agreed.

  She frowned up at me then. “Alice says you aren’t riding with us.”

  I bent down so that I may be at her eye level. “I have business to attend to here, but I will be along shortly. You go enjoy the countryside. It has been too long since we were there.”

  She nodded vigorously. “Alice says we are staying in the cottage. The one that looks like it is in my storybook.” She seemed so giddy with this idea, I wanted to sigh in relief.

  “It will be as if you are living in your own fairy tale,” I told her.

  She squealed then spun around to face Alice who was standing a few feet away. “Did you hear that, Alice? We shall be living in our own fairy tale.”

  Alice gave a nod. “Indeed we shall.”

  Emma turned back to me and threw her small chubby arms around my neck. “I shall miss you, Ashington.”

  Returning her hug, I felt my chest tighten. “I shall miss you more, Emma.”

  She leaned back enough to press a kiss to my cheek then stepped away. “Do not be sad. We will see you soon,” she said with a small grin.

  I stood then and gave her a small salute.

  Alice held out her hand and Emma went running over to her and took it. “Come Alice, it is time for us to begin our journey.”

  Alice glanced back at me with an amused smile on her typically tense face. I gave her a nod and she led the way to the servant’s entrance. Emma could not enter and leave through the front door for others would see a child and gossip would immediately begin. It was yet another thing I did to protect her but wished it weren’t required. This was Emma’s home and having her live as if she did not exist was unfair, yet I saw no other way.