How the Lady Charmed the Marquess

by Laura A. Barnes

  Jacqueline paused and continued her pacing. It was as if she was trying to form her thoughts into the right words.

  “But this week I have watched both of you blossom into the amazing ladies I believed you could be. Evelyn, you emerged from your shell and came alive. Your laughter and participation throughout the house party has been a balm to my soul. It has been a pleasure to watch you. Even you, Charlie, while you might still act before thinking, I see you do it out of love and not to harm yourself.”

  Tears slid along Charlie’s cheeks. The love she felt for her sisters overwhelmed her. She hadn’t realized the anguish she had caused her sister through the years. After listening to Jacqueline, Charlie now realized her rebellion had been an act to cope with her parent’s deaths. Charlie had never healed from losing them. Even now with her falling in love with Jasper, she wished her parents were alive to share her joy. While they wouldn’t be so understanding of her actions, they would support her.

  Charlie uncurled from the chaise at the same time that Evelyn rose from the chair. They both ran to Jacqueline and hugged her. Their emotions were raw from Jacqueline’s speech. They all started blubbering their love, then laughed at themselves. When they heard Abigail and Gemma crying on the bed, they opened their arms for them. The two girls joined them as they had done many times through the years.

  A knock on the door drew them apart. Polly bustled in, followed by servants carrying buckets of water for Charlie’s bath. They filled the tub and Polly opened Charlie’s wardrobe, pulling out the garments Charlie would need for dinner. Another maid walked in carrying a tea tray and a platter of sandwiches. Also on the tray rested a plate of mouthwatering pastries.

  “Lady Forrester said to pamper you for the afternoon, miss. She ordered for you to take a bath and eat. Then you are to rest before dinner.”

  “Thank you, Polly. We will help Charlie with her bath and make sure she rests. You can return to dress Charlotte and Evelyn for dinner,” Jacqueline ordered Polly.

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Polly?”

  Polly turned. “Yes?”

  “Please dress Evelyn and Charlotte’s hair in the exact same ribbons.” Jacqueline winked.

  A conspiring smile swept across Polly’s face before she nodded and left.

  “Now Charlie, into the bath. Ladies, shall we enjoy this repast while we concoct a plan to bring Lord Worthington to Evelyn’s knees?” asked Jacqueline.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sinclair descended the stairs at a leisurely pace, not wanting to attract attention toward himself. He had risen later than his usual early morning hour. Thoughts of Charlotte had kept him awake when he had finally found his bed. A secret smile slipped as he remembered the temptress. Without making it too obvious, he hoped to locate Charlotte and persuade her to sneak away with him. When he walked into the dining room, he searched for her but came up empty. The table was full of animated conversations between the other guests. Sinclair walked to the buffet against the wall and told the footman what he wanted. He slipped into a seat unnoticed and ate his lunch, listening to the conversation floating around him. When he overheard Evelyn make the excuse of Charlie feeling ill, he wanted to rush to her side and take care of her. Lady Forrester and Jacqueline said they would visit her after lunch. After their comment, Evelyn appeared nervous. Was Charlie sick or had she snuck out undetected? Soon Evelyn excused herself, rushing from the room. Sinclair wished to follow, but knew he wouldn’t be able to see Charlie alone. His stare at the entry way caused Lady Selina Pemberton to comment.

  “Lord Sinclair, did you enjoy the gentlemen’s evening a little too much or were you involved in other activities that kept you in your bed throughout the morning? I hope you did not catch whatever inflection Lady Charlotte is suffering from.”

  “Selina,” her father warned.

  “I am wondering over a guest’s welfare, Father. Before long I will be mistress over this household and it would be inconsiderate of me not to show my concern. I am sorry, Your Grace and Lord Sinclair, if I have overstepped my bounds.” Lady Selina offered a meek smile to the Duke of Colebourne.

  The fluttering of eyelashes and innocent smile didn’t fool Sinclair for one minute. Selina had tried catching Charlie and him yesterday, and today she was trying to cause speculation toward them.

  “Thank you for your concern, Lady Selina. I am afraid I imbibed in too many spirits last night. A mistake I will not make again for a while. Whiskey is a devil’s drink if not consumed at a leisurely pace.”

  The other gentlemen around the table laughed in agreement. Before Selina could draw Charlotte back into the conversation, the married husbands received reprimands for their overindulgence from the night before. Lady Forrester changed the subject from the unsavory conversation around the innocent ladies.

  Sinclair nodded at Selina. She narrowed her eyes, not believing him. While he stopped her from voicing her speculations for now, he knew it wouldn’t be for long. Lady Selina wanted Charlie involved in a scandal. He wondered what the minx had done to provoke the attack. Sinclair would need to convince Charlie to stop her ploys against Selina. Charlie had to accept the fact that Gray would marry the chit and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

  Jasper finished his meal, interjecting comments in here and there to the conversations. After an acceptable amount of time, he rose from the table. He meant to find Charlotte and see about her illness. He grew concerned that their love-making had been too much for her. She would be tender, and he was a bastard for taking her the way he did on the ground. Charlotte had deserved better.

  “Sinclair?”

  Sinclair turned when the Duke of Colebourne spoke. The duke sat relaxed at the table.

  “Yes?”

  “Please join me in my study in a half-hour's time.” The duke didn’t ask, nor was it a demand. Only a simple request of what the duke expected of Sinclair.

  Sinclair nodded before taking his leave. Now he couldn’t seek out Charlotte. Instead, he felt like her uncle would demand a marriage between them. This wasn’t what he wanted for them. He wanted to woo her and propose to her during the ball. Sinclair planned to return to his estate tomorrow, where he would inform his mother of his plans and ask for his grandmother’s ring to give to Charlie. His mother would be ecstatic. She had been pressuring Jasper to find a bride. Even mentioning Charlotte’s name many times. And every time Sinclair had scoffed, unaware of how the chit affected him. And every time his mother would smile, then change the subject. It was always enough though to make him question. Now Sinclair knew the answer. The exact moment he fell in love with Charlotte Holbrooke, he couldn't recall. Only now he understood that he couldn't remember not loving her.

  Not waiting to reach the half hour, Sinclair walked to the duke’s study. However, once he entered the room, he saw he wasn’t the only gentleman present. Gray and Forrester relaxed on the sofa, talking about Duncan’s estate. Forrester glared at Sinclair, but Gray only nodded in greeting. If the duke called him to the study to discuss his involvement in Charlotte’s ruination, then Gray wouldn’t have been so polite. He would have torn Sinclair limb from limb defending his cousin’s honor. Still unsure of the reason for the duke’s demand, he chose a chair as far from the members of Charlotte’s family that he could sit.

  He glanced at the clock to see that the time for the meeting drew near. Sinclair watched each hand tick to the next minute. His thoughts scrambled together an apology and an explanation for his behavior. All the times his father called him into the study for discipline never prepared him for this. It was agony waiting for the duke to call him out. However, when the other eligible bachelors started arriving and taking a seat, Sinclair grew confused. If the duke didn’t call him here to discuss his inappropriate behavior toward his niece, then what did this meeting concern?

  The duke stepped into his study, regarding the gentlemen awaiting his request. The meeting was only meant for one gentleman, but he'd invited the others to determine if the o
ne gentleman would state his intentions toward his niece. When Sinclair never came to him that morning but lazed in bed, Colebourne decided to make the man suffer for ruining his niece. He thought highly of Sinclair and assumed the gentleman would make an offer for Charlotte. Instead, Sinclair came into luncheon and never requested a meeting, acting nonchalant. This angered Colebourne. Perhaps the gentleman wasn’t the man for Charlotte. He'd noticed Worthington paying Charlotte attention. Maybe he was the gentleman for her? However, Colebourne knew what Worthington had not figured out. Worthington thought he was courting Charlotte when all along it was Evelyn. His nieces had weaved a fine web he needed to untangle before this house party ended. A simple enticement would bring Sinclair to scratch.

  Colebourne slipped behind his desk, leaning back in his chair. He lit a cigar, peering out behind the smoke, giving each gentleman a formable glare. He chuckled to himself when he noted a few of the men squirm in their chairs. Especially Sinclair. Today he would focus on making Sinclair uncomfortable, the other gentleman he would leave for a later date.

  “It has come to my attention that a certain lady has been taken advantage of during this house party by one of you. Since none of you have stepped forward to ask for the lady, I have an enticement to offer you,” said the Duke of Colebourne.

  “Who has been ruined?” Gray stood in a fit of anger.

  “Charlotte.” The duke let the lady’s name dangle in the air.

  Sinclair shot a glare at Forrester, who lifted his shoulder in a shrug of denial. Then he looked over to Worthington, who appeared nervous. Sinclair’s eyes narrowed. What did Worthington have to be uncomfortable about? Had he compromised Charlotte? No, wait, the girls always switched places. Worthington would have dallied with Evelyn thinking it was Charlotte. What a mess.

  “Who ruined her?” Gray snarled.

  It was apparent Gray hadn’t been paying attention to his cousins throughout the house party. Could it be because Lady Selina was in attendance, or because his thoughts were more centered on Abigail? Gray’s feelings regarding the young miss didn’t go unnoticed by Sinclair. When Gray thought no one looked, his stare fixated on the beauty. However, Gray couldn’t ever act because of his betrothal.

  “I have decided not to name the gentleman. Instead I will make the offer of Sapphire’s foal to the gentleman who charms my niece to the marriage altar. Since the fool did not ask for an appointment to offer for Charlotte’s hand, then perhaps he does not deserve her.”

  Kincaid stood, pulling the sleeves of his coat down. “Since I have no interest in the chit or the horse, I will decline your offer. You can trust me to stay silent on this matter. I have no wish to tarnish the girl’s reputation, just because she laid her trust with one of these scoundrels.” Kincaid left the study.

  “I am not guilty either, but I will accept this tempting offer. I would not mind the chit. She is easy on one’s eyes. And feisty, too. No offense, Your Grace,” said Ralston.

  “None taken, Ralston.”

  “Perhaps Lady Forrester would be so inclined to sit me next to Lady Charlotte at dinner this evening.”

  “I think that can be arranged.” A devious smile lit the duke’s face when he answered Ralston, while staring at Sinclair.

  The only emotion and sign of anger Sinclair showed was how his hands gripped the chair’s arm rest. His fingers dug into the carved wood. Sinclair’s teeth gritted, trying to hold back the denial he wanted to rage. The duke wished to provoke him into declaring himself the man who ruined Charlotte, but he stayed silent. The duke could dangle his offer all he wanted, but in the end Charlie would choose him. That, he held faith in. No man would force him until he was ready to declare his intentions. Not even the Duke of Colebourne.

  “Excellent. I shall see you gentlemen at dinner.” Ralston strutted out the door.

  Forrester broke the heavy silence with a chuckle. “What a quandary you have, Uncle Theo. I do not envy the man when you expose your true wrath.”

  “Funny you should mention my wrath, my boy.” The duke quirked an eyebrow at his nephew.

  “What? I have not ruined Charlie.”

  “Mmm, one would say your midnight rendezvous with the girl was not completely innocent. Then there is the matter of another girl in attendance you dallied with. One I have every right to call you out on, but she is not my ward, so I cannot. I can only issue you a warning. Stay clear, she is not yours.”

  “Well, in that case, consider me in.” Forrester stood and bowed to his uncle.

  “Like hell,” Sinclair snarled.

  “Well, Sinclair has stated his opinion, what do you say, Worthington?”

  “It would be an honor to win Lady Charlotte’s hand.”

  The pompous ass stood and shook the duke’s hand. Sinclair watched in disgust. This was why one did not lie in bed for a half a day. It sent the rest of the day into hell. Sinclair had lost his chance to ever get Charlotte alone, because half the men in attendance would now seek her attention.

  “May the best man win.” The duke swung his feet on the desk, inhaling a long drag of the cigar. His stare stating his feelings toward Sinclair.

  Sinclair stomped from the room all the way outdoors. His steps led to the stable, and the rest of the men watched him push his horse into a run. The horse kicked up the loose dirt, leaving a storm in its wake. Worthington exited in a much quieter manner. The duke motioned for Forrester to take his leave too. Once the duke remained in the room with his son, he let out the sigh of a weary uncle worried over his ward.

  “When this house party is over, I will sign your admittance into Bedlam,” said Lucas.

  “There will be no need, my boy.”

  “So which of them do I need to call out?”

  “I will take care of the gentleman, if he does not come up to snuff.”

  “Why not call him out now?”

  “Because if I force him, then Charlie will always wonder if the bloke truly loved her or if he married her by force.”

  Lucas sighed. “I understand your point. But if any of our guests learn of the scandal, you cannot take any of them to London for a season and will have to offer bribes for them to marry.”

  “I am aware of the consequences. However, the gentleman will propose within the next two days. Of that I am sure.”

  Lucas trusted his father to make the right decision for Charlotte and the other girls. However, there was only one girl on his mind and it wasn’t his fiancée. He wondered if his father knew of Abigail’s plans.

  “I overhead Abigail talking to Aunt Susanna yesterday.”

  “Yes, they converse quite frequently. They even correspond when your aunt returns home.”

  “Do you know Abigail plans to leave home after all the girls marry? She wants to become a paid companion or governess.”

  “Yes, Susanna informed me of Abigail’s plans.”

  “She cannot do that. No member of our family will work for money.”

  “We have no control over Abigail. She is free to do what she wishes. I only had guardianship over her until she reached the age of twenty-one. When she came of age, I informed her of the trust I set up in her name. However, she refuses to touch the money.”

  “We must convince her to stay. Did you speak of your plans for her to have a London season too?”

  “Yes, I even informed her of the dowry I have secured for her.”

  “I do not understand her need to leave then.”

  “Do you not?”

  “No.” Lucas looked at his father in confusion.

  “Then perhaps it is for the best that she leaves.”

  “You do not believe that.”

  His father didn’t answer him. Lucas couldn’t understand what his father was getting at. Before this house party started, his father was adamant that Abigail join the other girls for a London season. All these years, Abigail had been a member of their family and his father protected her just as fiercely as he did his cousins. Why would his father allow Abigail to leave? Ever since th
is house party started, life had been off-balance.

  “I will concern myself with Abigail. You need to focus your interest on Lady Selina. Her father has complained to me of your neglect. It is time that we move this betrothal forward. At the end of the house party, I will discuss the settlements with Selina’s father. Then we will set a date for the wedding.”

  “If you insist.”

  “I insist.”

  Colebourne watched his only child, lost in thought. The poor boy hadn’t even realized yet that he loved the girl. It was more than obvious to all. Well, to everyone but the boy and the girl. Abigail herself was as much in love with Lucas as he was her. They were both too blind to see it. But in time, he had a plan to bring the two together. Oh, he was a fool all those years ago to tie Lucas to Selina Pemberton. He realized the error of his ways. Colebourne only hoped it wasn’t too late. With a little nudge, his womanizing nephew would take the matters out of his hands. A certain kiss between the two confirmed Colebourne’s suspicion. A devious smile lit his face once again. Playing matchmaker gave him a new zest for life. It wouldn’t be long before he bounced his grandchildren and great niece and nephews on his knees.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Sinclair leaned against the fireplace mantel, nursing his drink. He didn’t want the whiskey, but Gray had been insistent on joining him. Gray ranted about the offer his father made for Charlotte. He wanted to know if Sinclair had a clue on who ruined Charlie. Gray continued to tell Sinclair how he would rip the bastard apart with his two hands once he found out. Sinclair cringed at the fury contained in his friend. He felt guilty for keeping the truth from Gray, and his need to avoid bodily harm kept him quiet. Should he feel offended that Gray didn’t accuse him? Did Gray consider Sinclair not good enough for Charlie? Was Gray that clueless not to figure out that Sinclair was the guilty party by his outburst earlier? Or was this a test for Sinclair to confess? Either way, the truth would come out soon. Hopefully, after he surprised Charlie with his proposal.