Improper Miss Darling

by Gail Whitiker

  She’d had absolutely no idea that to him, she had been the work of art.

  And when he had spoken and she had looked up at him, for an unguarded moment, he had seen surprised pleasure in the depths of those soft brown eyes. It had vanished the moment he had begun to explain his reasons for coming to see her, of course, but just for an instant, it had been there and he wanted very much to see it again. To see her smile at him like that again.

  That was the reason he knew he had to back away now. The attraction was there, tangible and strong, but an attraction was all it could ever be. He had a duty to his name and he had made a promise to a lady. A lady who, even now, was waiting for his offer of marriage.

  ‘Thank you, Barker,’ Alex said as his valet finished brushing his jacket. He turned to face the glass and saw a composed face staring back at him. No trace of indecision was reflected there. No indication of the age-old battle being waged within. The battle against desire.

  The battle to do what was right.

  Chapter Ten

  Dinner started out as a surprisingly enjoyable affair. Alex had come to dislike large formal gatherings, but tonight everyone seemed to be in good spirits. The guests expressed their pleasure over the events of the afternoon and many a laugh was shared over misfortunes encountered and games won or lost.

  Seated three chairs down from him and on the other side of the table, Emma was too far away to converse, a fact that was both a source of relief and disappointment to Alex. He had been rendered almost speechless by the sight of her this evening, her voluptuous curves magnificently displayed in a gown that could only have been made by one of London’s most fashionable modistes. Emma could have taken her place in any of the grandest of London houses, had such been her wish.

  Instead, she was here, looking supremely composed and radiantly beautiful as she conversed with Lord Mallard on her left and Anthony Slayter on her right. Mallard was in his late fifties, recently widowed and looking for a wife. Slayter, younger and far more handsome, was looking for a mistress. Alex knew those facts to be well known in society, but he doubted word of them had spread to Little Moreton. A fact that made him less than pleased at seeing both gentlemen paying Emma far more attention that the length of their acquaintance warranted.

  ‘So, what about you, my lord?’ Tom Towbridge asked in a genial tone. ‘Why aren’t we celebrating two engagements this weekend, rather than just one?’

  Alex mustered a smile. He liked Tom Towbridge. Though younger than him by a good few years, Tom was a sensible fellow who took his responsibilities seriously. ‘Because, Mr Towbridge, this is my brother’s celebration and the last thing I would wish to do is steal his thunder.’

  ‘But you are still planning to marry Lady Glynnis?’ Lady Gregory demanded from across the table.

  Alex raised an eyebrow. He might have taken exception to the remark except for the fact that Lady Gregory was a close friend of Glynnis’s Aunt Mary and knew how matters stood between the families. But he found he was not as comfortable talking about his marriage now that the direction of his feelings had changed. ‘Our arrangement hasn’t changed, Lady Gregory. I simply haven’t found the right moment to ask her.’

  ‘Good, because everyone knows how anxious your father is to see Lady Glynnis become the next countess.’

  ‘Well, all I can say,’ Tom said, ‘is that I hope when it comes time for me to choose a wife, I am fortunate enough to find a woman who loves me as deeply as Lady Glynnis loves you.’

  Surprised by the remark, Alex said, ‘How do you know she does?’

  ‘Good God, man, you only have to look at the painting to know how she feels about you. If that’s not a portrait of a woman in love, I don’t know what is.’

  ‘The portrait?’

  ‘Yes, the one she had—’ Suddenly, Towbridge went white. ‘Oh, God. Don’t tell me…she hasn’t given it to you yet.’

  ‘Given me what?’

  ‘Oh, hell!’

  ‘Tom?’

  ‘Forgive me. It was meant to be a surprise. Pretend we never had this conversation,’ Towbridge said desperately. ‘If anyone asks, say you know nothing about it.’

  Alex sat back, frowning. ‘That won’t be hard since I have absolutely no idea what—’

  The whoop of feminine laughter cut across Alex’s words and brought the quiet murmur of conversation up and down the table to an abrupt halt. Alex glanced to his left, saw that Emma’s face had gone deathly pale, then looked past her to find the source of the laughter.

  At the lower end of the table, Mrs Grand was talking with great animation to Sir Stanford Buckle, an affable gentleman and recent widower who was clearly enjoying the lady’s attentions. Both were looking a little flushed, and when Mrs Grand picked up her glass and tipped back the contents Alex understood why. It seemed his father had not been mistaken in suggesting that certain members of Emma’s family were fond of a tipple.

  He glanced quickly at his mother and father sitting at either end of the table, saw the horror-stricken expressions on both their faces, and then, seeing Peter’s face, realised he wasn’t any happier. Linette’s face was crimson, as was her father’s, who was seated across the table from his sister.

  Thankfully, the last cover had been removed and without waiting for the butler to sweep the table, Lady Widdicombe abruptly got to her feet. ‘Ladies, please join me in the Green Drawing room.’ Without another word, she turned and led the way out of the room.

  Emma and Linette quickly got to their feet and went immediately to their aunt’s side.

  ‘Come along, Aunt Dorothy,’ Emma said, helping the lady to her feet. ‘It is time for us to leave the gentlemen to their after-dinner pleasures.’

  ‘Really? What a pity.’ She giggled. ‘Sir Stanford and I were having a most interesting conversation about—’

  ‘Aunt, please, we really must go,’ Linette whispered in mortification.

  It was only then, as Mrs Grand looked around the table and saw how many of the guests were staring at her with disapproval, that her laughter abruptly died. She glanced at her nieces, the expressions on their faces giving her an awareness of what she had done, and her joy evaporated. ‘Oh, yes. Yes, of course.’

  Alex watched the girls help their aunt to her feet, noticed her teeter a little as she backed away from the table, then saw them quickly escort her from the room. The moment the door closed behind them, the buzz of conversation resumed. Alex watched his father get up from the table and abruptly draw Lord Leyland aside. Several other gentlemen also stood up to stretch their legs, but Mr Darling stayed where he was, his body rigid, his eyes downcast.

  Alex went over and sat down next to him. ‘Mr Darling, would you care to join me for a—?’

  ‘I am so sorry, Lord Stewart,’ Mr Darling said in a choked voice, his eyes never leaving the table. ‘I cannot imagine what came over her.’

  ‘A little too much champagne, I expect,’ Alex said, trying to downplay the seriousness of the event. ‘It happens to the best of us.’

  ‘But not to a lady. Never to a lady. And certainly not at such an important occasion as this.’ Mr Darling’s face was a study in regret. ‘One meant to celebrate her niece’s engagement to the son of a peer.’

  ‘Perhaps it was the nature of the event that compelled her to imbibe a little more freely than she normally would,’ Alex said. ‘Drink does tend to help settle one’s nerves.’

  ‘Yes, but all too often it also results in the loss of one’s inhibitions and this is the last place such a thing should have happened.’ The older man sighed deeply. ‘Do you know what the sad part of this is, my lord? My sister has been more concerned with making a good impression on your family and friends than any of us. She knows how important this is to Linette and she was most insistent that we present ourselves in the best light possible on each and every occasion our families came together.’

  ‘And you have.’

  ‘Until tonight,’ Mr Darling said ruefully. ‘Your mother and father were not
pleased by Dorothy’s conduct and who can blame them? She behaved in a manner totally unbecoming to a lady. I dearly wish Emma and Linette had not been here to witness it.’

  ‘But they are, I think, aware of your sister’s tendency to drink,’ Alex said as tactfully as he could. ‘If it is an ongoing condition, they must have seen evidence of it in the past.’

  ‘Yes. I dearly wish I could say that was not the case, but I would only be lying to both of us.’ Mr Darling finally raised his head, but he did not meet Alex’s eyes. ‘My sister changed after her husband passed away, Lord Stewart. I think it shocked her, his dying so young, and she was totally unprepared for life on her own. She had servants, of course, but she was suddenly the one in charge and I know she missed him dreadfully. So she started taking a glass or two of sherry in the afternoon, just to settle her nerves. I didn’t say anything in the beginning. After all, where was the harm? I thought. Why shouldn’t she dull her loneliness a little in whatever manner she had at her disposal?’

  Alex smiled. ‘I suspect we’ve all done that at one time or another.’

  ‘I know I have,’ Mr Darling admitted. ‘After the children’s mother died, I often found myself heading for my study for a few hours spent in a whisky-induced haze. It was an easy way to escape the less pleasant aspects of one’s life. But, eventually, I realised I had a family to look after and that I had to set an example. I saw what happened to my brother when the drink took over and I was damned if I was going to let that happen to me. So I stopped drinking then and there. Unfortunately, Dorothy didn’t have anyone to look after, or to turn to for solace.’

  ‘She has no family of her own?’

  Mr Darling shook his head. ‘She was never blessed with children.’

  ‘But you have, I believe, another sister living in Bath. Could Mrs Grand not have gone and stayed with her?’

  ‘It would never have worked,’ Mr Darling said with a sad smile. ‘Even as children, they fought. Always jealous of what the other had. Both wanting more than what life had given them. I doubt being together would have helped either of them.’

  Alex managed a smile. ‘They say misery loves company.’

  ‘And never a truer word spoken,’ Mr Darling agreed. ‘But sometimes it is wiser to stay clear of someone else’s unhappiness when you are so low in spirit yourself. Rather than buoy each other up, I fear they would have dragged the other down.’ Then, as if realising who he was talking to and how he had been going on, Mr Darling abruptly stood up. ‘Forgive me, my lord. This cannot be of the slightest interest to you and I am the last person in the world who should be monopolising your time.’

  ‘On the contrary, I’m glad you felt you could talk to me about it.’ Alex likewise got to his feet. ‘I can assure you, I understand completely.’

  ‘Thank you for saying that,’ Mr Darling said. ‘I only hope Dorothy’s behaviour tonight did not reflect too badly on Linette and the rest of our family.’

  Alex clapped the man on the shoulder, offered him as reassuring a smile as he could and then walked towards the French doors. The room had grown uncomfortably warm; needing a breath of fresh air, he stepped out in the night, only to overhear another conversation taking place between three gentlemen standing on the balcony.

  ‘… haven’t heard a laugh like that since my father took me to the fair and I went to see the Fat Lady,’ Anthony Slayter was saying. ‘Anyone know who she is?’

  ‘A Mrs Grand, I believe,’ said Lord Baird. ‘Widowed aunt of young Taylor’s fiancée.’

  ‘An aunt? By Jove, they’d best hide the sherry when she comes to call lest she drink them out of house and home.’

  ‘Old Buckle seemed quite taken with her,’ Lord Whitby said.

  ‘And why wouldn’t he?’ Slayter said. ‘He’s well known for bending the elbow himself and he is looking for a wife. They’d make a fine pair, as long as Buckle’s income don’t run out.’

  ‘Speaking of a fine pair,’ Baird commented, ‘you seemed rather taken with the young lady sitting next to you, Slayter. Isn’t she the older sister?’

  ‘She is.’

  ‘Tasty little piece,’ Whitby said. ‘Got more meat on her bones than most society chits. I wager she’d keep a man warm in his bed.’

  Alex had heard more than enough. ‘I would advise you to keep a civil tongue in your heads, gentlemen,’ he said, stepping out on to the balcony. ‘The ladies you refer to will soon be members of my family.’

  Lord Baird and Lord Whitby looked decidedly uncomfortable, but Slayter just laughed. ‘Oh, come on, Stewart, we were simply having a little fun.’

  ‘At someone else’s expense.’

  ‘Of course, we certainly wouldn’t want it at our own. But you can’t deny that the Darlings are an interesting family. Getting foxed in front of your father wasn’t the smartest thing the aunt could have done.’

  ‘I agree it was not the most prudent course of action, but Mrs Grand is not accustomed to moving in society,’ Alex said. ‘I expect she sought a way to calm her nerves.’

  Slayter’s smile was more of a sneer. ‘She did that very nicely. Unfortunately, just a touch too vocally.’

  ‘So what do you know of the family, Stewart?’ Whitby asked. ‘I’d never heard of them before receiving the invitation for this weekend.’

  ‘I understand the father used to tutor Lord Gaylord’s son,’ Baird volunteered. ‘But that he gave it up when he acquired a house and moved down here. And his own son recently became an artist. He painted that portrait of Forrester’s youngest daughter.’

  ‘That’s where I heard the name!’ Whitby said. ‘Has the makings of a damn fine artist from all I hear.’

  ‘And then there’s the youngest daughter, presently engaged to your brother,’ Slayter said, his smile as cold as his pale blue eyes. ‘Tell me, Stewart, are your mother and father pleased about the engagement?’

  ‘They are pleased my brother has found someone about whom he cares deeply, yes.’

  ‘But it’s not quite the same thing, is it?’ Slayter said. ‘I hear the earl has refused to give his permission for them to wed.’

  ‘Then you heard incorrectly. And I suggest you stop listening to gossip and innuendo.’ Alex’s voice was cold, the warning implicit. ‘It is most unbecoming in a gentleman.’

  Slayter’s expression clouded in anger, but Alex didn’t give a damn. The man was an arrogant dandy who cared more about other people’s business than he did his own and who was constantly running up gambling losses at the tables and the racecourse that frequently had to be covered by his family. Alex was surprised he had even been invited to the gathering, until he remembered that Sir Roger and Lady Slayter were good friends of his parents.

  ‘Alex,’ his father said, coming up behind him now. ‘A word, if you don’t mind. Excuse us, gentlemen?’

  The other three bowed and drifted back into the dining room. Alex ignored the smug look on Slayter’s face as he closed the doors and waited for his father to launch into his tirade.

  It wasn’t long in coming. ‘Well? What have you to say about that?’ the earl demanded.

  ‘I take it you mean Mrs Grand?’

  ‘Of course I mean Mrs Grand! Did you see any other lady at the table drinking and flirting outrageously with one of the guests?’

  ‘I realise it was not becoming behaviour—’

  ‘Not becoming? It was humiliating for everyone who had the misfortune to witness it!’ his father snapped. ‘And this is the family Peter has chosen to marry into. How do you think that reflects on us?’

  Alex sighed. ‘I agree it should not have happened, but there is nothing we can do now but try to look at it in the best light possible!’

  ‘There is no light in the world that could make this look good!’ the earl said. ‘Now, I think I have been patient, Alex, but your brother must be made to see that marrying into such a family is simply not acceptable.’

  ‘Peter is marrying Linette Darling, Father. Not her aunt.’

  ‘He
is still tying himself to a family of drunkards and gamblers.’

  ‘You exaggerate.’

  ‘Do I? I told you how they came to be in possession of Dove’s Hollow, and now you’ve seen proof that they have no social conscience whatsoever! How much more proof of their unsuitability do you need?’

  The French doors opened and Peter appeared. He looked from one to the other and Alex saw the despair in his eyes. ‘I think you should come back in. Your absence is being commented upon.’

  The earl simply grunted and marched past his younger son without a word.

  Alex sighed and glanced at his brother. ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Peter? There are other young women out there. Women who would be more suitable to being your wife.’

  ‘You mean women who would make Father happier than he is right now.’

  ‘That too.’

  Peter shook his head. ‘There could never be anyone for me but Linette. I’m more sure of that every day. She is good and kind and she loves me. Not what I own or who my family is. Me. And I won’t give her up, Alex. Not for Father. Not for you. Not for anyone. The only way I would give her up is if she asked me to.’

  ‘Be sensible, Peter. You know Father’s health is failing and this tension between the two of you isn’t helping.’

  ‘I know and I’m sorry. But if he cared more about patching things up between us, he wouldn’t have suggested that I set Linette up as my mistress and look for a more suitable woman to be my wife.’

  Alex swore softly. ‘He said that?’

  ‘Just now, before he came out to see you. Thank God I was the only one who heard it, but how do you think that made me feel, Alex? What does it say when your father suggests that the woman you’ve asked to be your wife is only suitable to being your mistress?’