by Emma Evans
She gave a jerky nod, not knowing what else to say.
“Therefore,” he continued firmly. “I shall let you attempt to show me the truth about your sister’s character. It shall be the making or the breaking of my love and adoration for her. If I find that she is not as bad as I have been thinking, then I will continue in my pursuit of her and things will be just as they have been. However, if my suspicions are confirmed, then I shall not wed you myself but will do all I can to ensure you have a suitable match by the end of the Season.” He drew in a long breath, giving her a small smile. “Perhaps Lord Barnard, for example.”
Grace, to her surprise, felt her heart sink to her toes as though she had been desperately hoping to wed Lord Larchmont, finding her feelings thrown into a sudden turmoil.
“Does this please you, Miss Grace?”
She wanted to say no, wanted to say that, in fact, she would prefer to marry Lord Larchmont instead of finding another—even though Lord Barnard had been handsome and very kind—but instead she simply gave him a small, jerky nod.
“Capital!” he exclaimed, a broad grin settling on his face as though he had done her the world of good. “Then what do you propose to do, Miss Grace?”
She blinked. “Do?”
He chuckled and sat next to her again, the weight rolling off his shoulders. “Do about your sister? How do you plan to have me see her true character?”
Grace couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, not when he was so close. She found his presence overwhelming, his nearness too close. Her mind was fragmenting, her words rushed together as she tried to think of what to do.
“I am pushing you too fast,” he said, seeing her struggle. Patting her hand, he got to his feet again, offering her his arm. “Shall I take you back to the house?”
His touch had sent shivers up her arm, making her whole body tense. With an effort, she kept a hold of her composure and rose, taking his arm again. Her breathing was ragged, her mind spinning, and she could think of nothing but her strange reactions to Lord Larchmont’s nearness.
“I am glad that Lord Barnard seems so intrigued by you, Miss Grace,” Lord Larchmont said jovially as they strolled back to the house. “I am sure he will be a more than suitable replacement for myself as your suitor, don’t you agree?”
Grace tried to nod, tried to speak, but found she could not. Lord Larchmont did not seem to notice but continued to speak as they walked back to the house, apparently unable to see her profound misery.
Chapter Eight
Ten days later and Grace was still quite unable to find a way to show Lord Larchmont the true nature of her sister and finding her own feelings entirely conflicted. She both despised and cared for Lord Larchmont, hating herself for having any kind of feeling for the man who would either be her brother-in-law or gone from her life forever, whatever the outcome of this fiasco was to be.
That being said, Lord Larchmont had been more than attentive these last few days, much to Sarah’s frustrations. It was as though a shade had been lifted from his eyes, so that he no longer saw simply Sarah’s beauty but rather looked into her instead. There was, on occasion, a questioning look in his eyes as he regarded her sister, making Grace wonder what it was he was thinking. They had not discussed the matter since their new arrangement made in the park a full week ago and it was often in Grace’s mind what Lord Larchmont was thinking.
Not that she could ever ask him. There was still a barrier between them, one that she would not breach. She could not take him into her confidences, nor she taken into his, since there was to be nothing long-standing between them. And yet, Grace found herself wanting to pour her heart out to him, finding that she was longing for the next time she would see him. They had enjoyed at least one outing each day, except for the Sunday, and she had found him to be amiable, friendly, honorable, kind-hearted and with a fierce stubbornness that ran through almost everything he did. It was, perhaps, the reason that he had been so determined to pull Sarah away from Lord Wilson, although Grace was not in the least bit convinced that they would make a good match.
Despite this, she mused, Lord Larchmont did not seem as keen in pursuing Sarah any longer. They had enjoyed trips to the theatre, to the park and to the bookshop very often, as well as carriage rides and afternoon tea—and even though Sarah would sometimes join them, Grace had not seen Lord Larchmont’s eyes drift towards Sarah as though she were the missing jewel in his crown. He did not seem to be seeking her out, finding her company to be almost irritating when she forced her presence amongst them.
“Miss Grace?”
Looking away from the window and forgetting her musings, Grace could not help but smile as Lord Larchmont stepped inside the room before the butler had time to announce him.
“I do hope you have not forgotten our ride this afternoon, my dear Miss Grace,” he smiled, as the door remained open for propriety’s sake. “The phaeton will suffice, I hope?”
Grace felt a rush of excitement run all through her, her eyes shining. “Oh, how wonderful, Lord Larchmont! No, indeed, I had not forgotten. Forgive me, I should have gone to fetch my bonnet and gloves but I was rather caught up with a few things.” Seeing a maid passing, she called her attention and sent her off in search of such things, requesting that she bring them to the front door.
“Caught up, did you say?” His eyes were bright and curious, a lingering smile on his face. “And what were you thinking, Miss Grace? Or should I not dare ask?”
Aware that this was a line they had yet to cross, Grace dismissed his question with a slight shrug. She was not about to go into detail about what she had been thinking about, not yet.
Thankfully, she did not have to come up with any kind of excuse, given that a sudden shout echoed up towards them both from the corridor, making Grace start in surprise.
“Oh, goodness,” she murmured, hurrying towards Lord Larchmont. “Come, my lord. It is best that we are not in here when the whirlwind hits!”
“The whirlwind?” he repeated, as she caught his hand and half pulled him along the corridor. “Whatever are you talking about?”
Grace could not help but giggle as they practically ran down the staircase, pausing only at the front door to put on her bonnet and gloves. “I do apologize, Lord Larchmont, but it is best that we leave this very moment! Mama knows that I had an appointment with you so I need not give her my farewells.”
Looking somewhat bemused, Lord Larchmont followed her at once out of the front door and only after she was seated did he turn to her again with a bemused expression.
“Now, what the devil were you speaking of, Miss Grace? It must have been something terrible, since you practically pushed me out of the door!” He chuckled as he picked up the reins, the phaeton rolling along the cobbled London streets.
Grace laughed again and shook her head. “You will think me quite terrible for avoiding them both, Lord Larchmont, but I simply cannot be around my sister nor my mother at this present moment!”
The smile began to fade from his expression. “They have not upset you, I hope?”
Pausing for a moment, Grace eventually shook her head, choosing not to divulge all the spiteful things that had come her way in the last few days. “It is nothing to do with me, in actual fact, Lord Larchmont. My parents, I believe, are becoming a little frustrated that my sister refuses to set a wedding date. In fact, she will not even allow the banns to be called!”
Her smile died the moment she saw his eyes widen, realizing that from what she had said, Lord Larchmont had suddenly found a spark of hope.
“Did she say why she would not do this?” he asked quietly. “That is somewhat surprising for a lady so long engaged.”
The laughter had gone from her heart, the joy vanished completely. “No,” she murmured, turning her head away. “No, she did not.” Closing her eyes, Grace called herself every kind of fool, hating that she’d allowed her heart to start filling with this gentleman whilst knowing that he still thought only of her sister. She had enjoyed her
time with him, had looked forward to his visits and to their many outings, but yet, she reminded herself now, it would all come to naught.
“Miss Grace?”
Pasting a cheerful smile on her face, Grace turned back towards him. “Yes, Lord Larchmont?”
He shifted a little awkwardly in his seat. “I hope you do not think that this has anything to do with me,” he began, glancing from the road to her face and back again. “I do not take any joy in hearing of such news.”
“Do you not?” Grace asked, a touch wryly. “I would have thought your heart would jump with delight upon hearing it. Perhaps you now have a chance, Lord Larchmont, to secure her hand once and for all!” She had not intended her words to become bitter but realized that they were, coming out from all the suffering and pain that she had wrapped in her soul.
“Miss Grace,” Lord Larchmont began again, almost hesitantly. “I wish you to know that I have not thought of your sister in such a way for a few days now… it is very strange to me to have such tumultuous feelings running all through me but there is the truth of it.”
She frowned. “But I have not managed to prove anything to you as yet.”
A small shrug lifted his shoulders. “And yet, I find that I have found a better companion in you.”
Companion.
The word held so many possibilities, and yet Grace was sure that it meant only one thing. Lord Larchmont saw her as a friend, perhaps even a confidante one day if their friendship continued, but that was all. They had spent so much time together of late that perhaps it was to be expected but still Grace felt herself longing for more. She tried to ignore the bubbling affection in the very depths of her heart, tried not to feed it, but still it grew.
Apparently, she wanted to lose her heart to this man, wanted him to crush it underfoot as he either turned from her to her sister or turned away from her altogether. There was nothing else in this for her.
“Here we are.”
Lord Larchmont’s voice was brisk, as though setting aside what had just been said so that they did not need to discuss it any longer. Grace, feeling much the same way, sat back in her chair and surveyed the park in front of her.
“Not too busy,” he commented as the horses picked up their pace just a little. “I had thought that more of the beau monde would be out this afternoon.”
“It is still a little early,” Grace managed to say, despite her slightly confused state of mind. “But in truth, Lord Larchmont, I find that I do not mind in the least.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You do not care for the ton, then?”
Another laugh escaped from her lips. “To all and sundry I am nothing more than a wallflower, sent to adorn my sister in all her beauty. No, Lord Larchmont, I do not particularly care for the ton. I cannot abide the way that there are is so much pretense, so much fakery. No one reveals their true selves.”
Her cheeks burned as he looked at her, one eyebrow raised. She had not meant to speak so openly, had not meant to tell him all this and yet there was something in his gaze that almost forced her to speak without hindrance.
“Do you know, Miss Grace, I believe this is the first time you have ever told me something so personal,” Lord Larchmont murmured, without a hint of reproach in his voice. “I suppose you are speaking from personal experience?”
Grace swallowed hard.
“I should not have asked you that,” Lord Larchmont said again, after a moment. “Forgive me. I simply thought to continue our discourse.”
Her eyes shot to his. “You want to know more about what I think?”
His smile spread across his face, his eyes warm. “Miss Grace, I would listen to everything you have to say, should you be willing to share with me. I feel as though we have reached a point in our acquaintance where personals thoughts and feelings can be shared without any fear of criticism from the other. Do you not think so?”
“I—I think so,” Grace replied, her heart beginning to quicken as he pulled the phaeton to a stop just under the shade of some trees. “I did not think that you wished to deepen our acquaintance, Lord Larchmont.”
The reins were loose in his hands as he turned to face her, his expression thoughtful. “Perhaps that was true when we first met, Miss Grace, but I find that my heart has changed in that regard,” he said slowly, his eyes slowly lifting to hers, an intensity in his gaze that drew her breath out of her chest. “If you do not feel the same then I quite understand.”
Grace was not quite sure what he was saying, or what this meant, but knew that she did, very much, want to talk to him about many of the things she thought and felt, just as if they were truly courting. Her instincts told her not to do such a thing, however, to keep him at arm’s length until he had made up his mind about her sister, but her heart told her to do precisely the opposite, no matter the consequences.
A deep sigh left her. “Then I should tell you, Lord Larchmont, that I have not had a great many companions or friends these last years. My sister has garnered everyone’s attention, which has left me rather lonely. I—I have been enjoying our outings and our conversations, Lord Larchmont. I would be sorry for them to stop.”
His smile lit up his eyes, as though she was fulfilling a dream he had held for some time.
“I would be too, Miss Grace,” he replied softly, lifting his gloved hand and settling it on hers for a moment. “Although I am a little unused to speaking so openly about myself. However, for you, I will do all I can to share myself with you. You can ask me anything you wish, and I will tell you the truth, I promise you.”
Grace laughed softly, her hand warm under his. “Very well, Lord Larchmont. Tell me about your family.”
“My family?” A line appeared between his brows, his expression rather confused. “Well, as you know, my mother is with me at the present time and my brother and his new wife are still on honeymoon, although they should return soon.”
“I do not think I have met your mother more than once,” Grace mused, trying to picture the lady. “I have been introduced to her, however, I am sure.”
He blinked, looking adorably befuddled for a moment before his expression cleared and he patted her hand again. “Then you must come to tea, my dear Miss Grace, and spend time with her then. I am sure she would be delighted to make your acquaintance… although you had best invite your sister too, for I could not invite you alone.”
Grace felt her shoulders slump although she tried to keep her expression jovial. “That is quite all right, Lord Larchmont, I understand. Tea would be lovely and, you never know, my sister might be otherwise engaged with Lord Wilson and will be unable to attend.”
She did not know what she expected from such a remark, but she certainly did not expect Lord Larchmont to laugh aloud, shake his head and squeeze her hand.
“Indeed, Miss Grace!” he exclaimed, making her heart lift all the more. “Perhaps I will be lucky and have you all to myself.”
Grace did not know what to say.
Chapter Nine
“Stephen?”
“I am in the library, Mother,” Stephen called through the open door, since, given that he was halfway up a ladder perusing the books on the third shelf, that meant that he could not easily climb down and find her.
The sound of his mother’s footsteps came into the room and Stephen looked down to see her staring up at him with a bemused expression.
“Can I help you with something, Mother?” he asked, a little frustrated at the interruption. “As you can see, I am rather busy.”
“Yes, I can see that,” his mother replied with a small smile. “What are you doing, might I ask?”
A happiness lifted Stephen’s heart as he thought of Miss Grace, since she was the very reason for his exploration of the library. “Miss Grace was talking to me about her lack of knowledge about various poets and so I thought to educate her on the matter, since we have so many books here. That being said, I am not sure they have been read in some time, given how dusty they all are!” He blew hea
rtily at one which produced a cloud of dust and made him cough violently.
“Goodness, do be careful, Larchmont!” his mother exclaimed, her eyes wide. “The last thing we need is for you to fall off the ladder and break your neck! Then what would Miss Grace do?”
Stephen frowned to himself, choosing to climb down slowly with three books held awkwardly in his hand. “Mother,” he said firmly, as he reached the floor, “you know that there is nothing of longevity between myself and Miss Grace. I think we will be very good friends but I have promised to find her a suitable suitor once this whole business with her sister is at an end. You know as much, mother. I have been very open with you about this.”
The truth was that Stephen had been practically forced into telling his mother almost everything about what was going on with Miss Grace and Miss Sarah, especially when he had invited Miss Grace for afternoon tea only last week. Thankfully, Miss Sarah had been otherwise engaged and so Miss Grace had come with her maid and they had all enjoyed a wonderful afternoon together. His mother had declared that Stephen had her blessing when it came to Miss Grace and so Stephen had needed to explain everything.
“Is that so?” his mother queried, her eyebrows lifted. “And tell me, Larchmont, when did you last find yourself caught up thinking about Miss Sarah?”
Stephen opened his mouth to answer, only to close it again slowly. He had not thought of Miss Sarah in some days, he realized, and had only been thinking of Miss Grace.
“I can see that you are struggling to answer this,” his mother said softly. “And I am certain that Miss Grace feels something for you, if that is any help, Larchmont.”
Shaking his head, Stephen gave his mother a wry smile. “Now that is where you are wrong, Mama. Miss Grace does not care one jot for me, not in that way. We have become good friends, I grant you, but that is all. I cannot blame her for that, either, not when I first wormed my way into her good graces simply to get closer to her sister.” A streak of shame rushed up his spine, his head now hanging as he looked away from his mother, ashamed that he had ever treated Miss Grace with such derision.