“You did nothing wrong. As you said, she probably seduced him.”
“She did. She never tells him anything about herself. All she has to do is give him a smile and take him to the bedchamber, and he forgets that he doesn’t know anything about her.” After a moment, Celia let out a frustrated sigh. “I wish my brother would think more with his head than his male part.”
Loretta wiped another tear away and swallowed the lump in her throat. “There’s nothing to be done about it now. They’re already married.”
“Unfortunately, that’s true. We’re stuck with her whether we like it or not. Earlier today, I gave her lessons on how to conduct herself when she’s at the Ladies of Grace social engagement.”
Loretta grimaced. “You didn’t.”
“I had to. Even if I don’t like Damara, I can’t have her embarrassing me. Lady Eloise will never trust me to bring another guest if Damara doesn’t know how to act. Damara hasn’t been brought up correctly. She had manners no better than a dog. She gulped her drinks, shoved food into her mouth as if she was starving, plopped down in chairs like an impatient child, and did other things that aren’t acceptable at all.” Celia closed her eyes and shook her head. “I almost feel sorry for her. She really had no idea how unladylike she was.”
“Maybe she shouldn’t go with us to Lady Eloise’s.” Loretta hadn’t been looking forward to seeing Damara anyway, so it would suit her just fine if Celia un-invited her.
“I have to bring her along,” Celia argued. “I want to find out what her secret is. To do that, I need to make her feel as if I’m her friend so she’ll confide in me.”
“In that case, maybe I should stay home.”
“No. You can’t! It won’t be any fun if you’re not there.”
Loretta wanted to protest. What good would she be when she was miserable? But one look at her friend weakened her resolve. Celia had done so much for her over the years. Whenever Loretta had needed something, Celia never hesitated to do it.
“All right, I’ll go,” Loretta finally agreed.
“Good.” Celia gave her another hug. “This will be the only time Damara will go to that group. I promise. I taught her enough about improving her manners so she won’t embarrass me, but I can’t see how she’s polished enough for Lady Eloise to offer her membership into the group.”
Well, when Celia put it that way, it seemed doable. All Loretta had to do was sit in the same room with Damara one time. Loretta could handle one time. At least, she hoped she could. In three days, she’d know for sure. But already, she was dreading it.
Hiding her apprehension about the social engagement, Loretta turned her attention to Celia as she described the gown she’d bought for the occasion.
***
Anthony waited for an hour to go to his bedchamber so he could talk to Damara. When he got there, he found her asleep on the daybed. A blanket was pulled up to her chin, and her chest was gently rising and falling. She looked so peaceful. Celia had been right. Damara had needed time alone. For once, he was glad he’d listened to his sister.
He went to the room off to the side of the bedchamber and worked on the ledger until he heard her get up. Marking his place, he closed the large book and went to greet her.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked as she folded the blanket.
She glanced over at him. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“I came in while you were asleep. I didn’t want to wake you.” He kissed her. “Celia told me you needed time to rest.”
“Yes, I did.” She finished folding the blanket and placed it on the daybed. “It wasn’t until I was up here that I realized I hadn’t had my monthly flow last week when I was supposed to. I don’t know if it’s too soon to tell for sure or not, but I think I’m with child.”
“That’s wonderful news.” He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again. “I suspected something was different over the past few days.”
“You did?”
“You haven’t had as much of an appetite.”
“Well, yes, but I thought it was nerves. Your sister knows so much about how to act in London. She’s the most graceful person I’ve ever met. I don’t feel like I measure up to her.”
He chuckled. “My sister took expensive lessons in order to impress the Ton. I think she puts too much emphasis on how to act with people who don’t really matter.” He tucked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so their gazes met. “I like you just the way you are.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
“Of course, I do. I couldn’t be happier. You’re perfect. You don’t have to change anything.”
“And you like me? Not just my body, but the person I am?”
“I like everything about you. Though,” he added with a twinkle in his eye, “I will admit, your body is a very nice addition to the rest of you.”
She giggled and slipped her arms around his waist. “Sometimes I miss being at Hamilton when it was just you and me.”
“We’ll go there again this winter,” he promised. “But from what you told me, it won’t be just the two of us. There will be another one.”
“I hope it’s a boy. I’d like to give you an heir.”
“It doesn’t have to be a boy. I’ll be happy with a girl.” Feeling playful, he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “If we have a girl, we’ll have more incentive to try for an heir.”
With a grin, she said, “I don’t think you need more incentive to take me to bed.”
“I’m a gentleman with needs.” He brought his hands to her behind and gave it a light squeeze. “I’ll take any excuse I can to have you wrap those beautiful legs around my waist.”
“You don’t need an excuse to do it right now.”
“In that case,” he picked her up, “I should take you up on your offer while you’re making it.” Then he took her to bed.
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later, Damara was fiddling with the gloves on her lap as she waited in the drawing room to go to Lord Steinbeck’s dinner party. She would have waited in her bedchamber for Anthony to get her, but she was too nervous.
As Celia passed by the room, Damara offered her a wave. Celia halted then came over to the settee, peering down at Damara in surprise. “You’re all dressed up. Is there a ball tonight I don’t know about?”
“No.” Damara scooted over so Celia could sit next to her. “I’m waiting for your brother. He’s taking me to Warren’s—that is, Lord Steinbeck’s—dinner party.”
“Anthony didn’t mention anything about Lord Steinbeck having a dinner party.”
“He said it was going to be more of a business meeting than an actual party.” She shrugged. “I took that to mean it’s going to be boring.”
“I’ve had to suffer through a dinner party with Lord Steinbeck. And you’re right. It’s going to be boring.”
Celia giggled, but since Damara had no idea why Celia was amused, she was in no position to appreciate the joke. Nor was she sure she wanted to. She, after all, wasn’t all that interesting, either. Maybe Celia found her boring as well but was too polite to say so.
“Who else will be there?” Celia asked.
“Oh, um, let me remember.” Damara thought over the people Anthony had mentioned. “Miss Beaufort will be there.”
“Miss Beaufort?”
“Lord Steinbeck’s younger sister.”
“I didn’t know he had a younger sister.”
“Well, she hasn’t been in London that long. Anthony said she came to live with him late in the Season last year.”
“Really? How old is she?”
“I think Anthony said she’s seventeen.”
“In that case, it’s no wonder she escaped my notice. She’s not having a Season yet. Therefore, she’s not worth the attention. Who else will be there?” Celia asked.
“Oh, um, the Duke and Duchess of Hartwell will be there, probably because they’re Lord Steinbeck’s in-laws. Also, there will be a captain. Captain Egan, i
f I recall right. Anthony seems rather excited about the captain. The captain hunts for whales.”
Celia put her hand up to her mouth and pretended to yawn. “You poor thing. I should send you with a pillow. That way you can take a nap to help pass the time.”
Damara was inclined to agree with Celia on this point. She had no real interest in the captain’s venture, either.
“Is that all the people who’ll be there?” Celia asked.
She thought back over the list of invited guests. “Oh, there is another lady who’ll be there. She’s Lady Hedwrett, and she’s a widow.”
“I’m not familiar with her,” Celia said. “You say she’s Lady Hedwrett?”
Damara nodded.
Celia tapped her finger on her lips. “That’s peculiar. I don’t recall ever hearing about her.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “And she’s a widow?”
“I believe she’s been a widow for a couple of years.”
“She must not engage in social activities. Otherwise, I’d recognize her title. Is she going to be escorted by anyone?”
“Now that I think about it, there is another gentleman. Anthony said he’s a good friend. His name is Corin.” Her cheeks warmed. “I’m afraid I don’t remember his title. I’ve been struggling to keep Lady Hartwell and Lady Hedwrett straight. Those two are so similar, don’t you-”
“Corin?”
Damara paused.
“Do you mean Lord Durrant?” Celia asked.
“Now that you mention it, that sounds like his title.”
Celia jumped off the settee and headed toward the doorway.
“What is it? Did I say something wrong?” Damara called out as she rose to her feet.
Anthony reached the doorway just in time to meet Celia. Before he could say anything, Celia put her hands on her hips and glared at him. “What’s this about Corin escorting Lady Hedwrett at Lord Steinbeck’s dinner party this evening?”
A blush crept up Anthony’s face. “Celia, you can’t be surprised. Single gentlemen are free to escort whichever lady they choose at these dinner parties.”
“Why wasn’t I invited? Did you tell Corin I was busy this evening? He would have wanted to escort me instead of Lady Hedwrett.”
Anthony let out a shaky laugh. “The evening would bore you. It’s just a group of gentlemen discussing business. You hate those things. And besides, it’s not like you and Lady Steinbeck are friends.”
“That’s it, isn’t it!” Celia snapped her fingers. “Lady Steinbeck forbade me from going. She made Corin take someone else.” She glanced back at Damara. “Lady Steinbeck hates me.”
“Lady Steinbeck has nothing to do with this,” Anthony replied. “Corin and I discussed it, and we thought it was best to spare you a long and tedious evening at Lord Steinbeck’s.” When her frown deepened, he added, “Can you honestly tell me you want to listen to Captain Egan talk about whaling all through dinner?”
“You know I’d listen to anything if I can be with Corin. This is all Lady Steinbeck’s fault.”
Anthony let out a frustrated sigh, which prompted Damara to grab her gloves and go over to them. “It’s only one dinner party,” Damara told Celia, hoping to calm the lady down. “Surely, we can have a dinner party here sometime, and Corin can escort you then.”
Celia’s eyes lit up, and she turned her expectant gaze to Anthony, who didn’t look as willing to do this as Damara assumed he’d be. In fact, he seemed even more uncomfortable. Damara frowned. Had she unwittingly made things worse?
“We’ll talk about this later,” Anthony told Celia. “If Damara and I don’t leave now, we’ll be late.”
“It’s a simple yes or no answer,” Celia argued. “Is there a reason why we won’t have Corin over for a dinner party so he can be my escort?”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Anthony said then reached for Damara’s arm.
Celia wasn’t the least bit happy with his response. That much Damara could tell. Now she felt awful. She should have kept her mouth shut. If she hadn’t interrupted their conversation, then Anthony wouldn’t be pinned into such an awkward position.
Damara waited until they were in the carriage before she said, “I’m sorry, Anthony. I shouldn’t have said anything about you having a dinner party.”
With a smile, he reached for her hand and squeezed it. “You did nothing wrong. I should have told you that Corin doesn’t want to marry Celia, even though Celia thinks he does.”
“Oh.” That was why Celia got upset when she heard that Corin was going to be with Lady Hedwrett this evening. “I wish I hadn’t told her he was going to be at Warren’s tonight.”
“As I said, you did nothing wrong. It was a lack of foresight on my part that caused all of this. I should have explained everything to you sooner.” He rubbed her back. “I thought you were going to be waiting for me in your bedchamber.”
“I was going to, but I got too nervous. I haven’t even put these on yet.” She gestured to the gloves then slipped them on.
“Try not to let Celia upset you. She’ll find someone else. The Season has just started. There are plenty of opportunities for her. I think I’ll start taking her to some balls next week. It’ll be a good chance for me to find someone for Loretta, too.” He grinned. “I don’t suppose I can talk you into going to the balls with me? Then the task of finding suitable gentlemen won’t be too burdensome.”
He expected her to say yes, and as much as she wanted to since he was so kind to her, she couldn’t do it. What if Lord Comwright was at one of those balls? What would he do if he saw her with Anthony?
The carriage came to a stop, giving her a much-needed escape from having to answer his question. By the way he kissed her, she knew he assumed she’d be more than happy to go to the balls with him. And she wasn’t sure what to do about that.
The footman opened the door, and Anthony guided her out of the carriage and up the steps to Warren’s townhouse. Forgetting all about Lord Comwright, she focused on the people she was about to meet. She took a deep breath and tucked her arm around Anthony’s for support. More than anything, she wanted the evening to go well. Both for her sake and for Anthony’s.
Warren’s footman led them to the drawing room where five people were already enjoying a conversation. Damara didn’t realize her grip had tightened on Anthony’s arm until he gave her hand a reassuring pat. She loosened her grip and smiled at him, grateful he was offering her encouragement. It was so like him to show her mercy when she needed it the most, and that was one thing about him she’d never take for granted.
The people turned to them, and the butler introduced them.
The blond gentleman rose to his feet. “I’m Warren. It’s a pleasure to finally put a name with a face,” he told Damara as he went over to her. “Anthony’s been talking of little else ever since he came back to London.”
“Yes, this is Damara, my dear wife,” Anthony replied.
Damara’s skin flushed with pleasure at the pride in his voice.
“My wife’s been eager to meet you,” Warren told her as he gestured to his wife, who smiled at her.
Damara returned the smile, the familiar rush of shyness coming back to her.
“You can call her Iris,” Warren continued. “Next to Iris is my sister, Opal. She’ll be in her first Season next year, and I’m already dreading it.”
“Don’t be silly,” Opal piped up. “I have you to stand between me and the rakes. You have nothing to worry about.”
With a twinkle in her eye, Iris added, “Poor Warren’s already been interviewing potential suitors.”
“Discreetly, of course,” Warren said. “They don’t know what I’m doing. But that doesn’t matter at the moment. We’re here to enjoy a dinner party, not discuss the marriage mart.” He turned and gestured to the other gentleman in the room. “That over there is Corin, and he’s with Candace, who goes by the title Lady Hedwrett. Iris’ parents and Captain Egan should be here soon. In the meantime, have a seat and tell us how you
met. Corin and I are having a hard time believing that you managed to convince Anthony to marry you the same day you met him. We thought Anthony never even looked up from a book long enough to notice there were creatures as interesting as ladies.”
The others chuckled, including Anthony, so Damara relaxed.
“It’s hard not to notice someone as lovely as Damara,” Anthony said as he sat beside her.
“You are lovely,” Iris added, peering around her husband as he poured tea into two cups. “And I love the gown you’re wearing. The pink brings out the color in your cheeks.”
“Thank you,” Damara replied. “Anthony helped me pick it out. He said I looked good in it.”
“Are you shopping for ladies’ clothes now?” Corin asked, eyebrows raised as he looked at Anthony.
“It’s an excuse to be with my wife,” Anthony replied. “You can’t blame a gentleman for wanting to do that.”
“I think it’s a sweet gesture,” Iris said.
“You’re making me look bad,” Warren told Anthony as he handed him and Damara their cups. “Iris is bound to think I don’t find her interesting simply because I don’t want to spend time in a dress shop.”
“A dress shop?” Anthony asked. “I thought you two preferred to spend time in a coin shop instead.” He glanced at Damara. “You’d be surprised by how much he talked about Iris’ old Sovereign when they first married. You’d swear that was the best coin ever made.”
“It’s a rare coin,” Warren replied. “None of you have one.”
“They’re not exactly cheap,” Corin spoke up.
“No, they aren’t,” Candace agreed. “My late husband had one. It was one of his most prized possessions.”
Corin turned to her. “He did?”
Candace nodded. “He used to show it to gentlemen when he wanted to impress them.”
The Viscount's Runaway Bride (Marriage by Bargain Book 1) Page 13