by Deborah Hale
“Must everything be a challenge with you?” she teased with a hint of asperity.
Jasper pulled a wry face. “Knowing my competitive nature, does that surprise you?”
Evangeline could not contain the laughter that bubbled out of her. It threatened to carry her away.
“I would say you and I are well matched in that regard. Come to think of it, we are well matched in a great many ways...” He looked as if he wanted to say more but managed to restrain himself. “Including on the dance floor. What do you say? Shall we try again and see if we can improve?”
The power of his personality and her own inclination urged Evangeline to agree at once. But her prudence and discretion were determined to mount some resistance. “I will dance with you again, if you wish, but not right away. It would be certain to cause comment and make Mr. Webster even more vexed with me. You really should not neglect his daughter so shamefully, regardless of what...strange compulsion has come over you this evening.”
As the musicians tuned up for the next dance and new lines began to form, Jasper drew her away from the floor. “This strange compulsion, as you call it, is much more than that, Evangeline. And it did not come over me just this evening. It has been growing for some time without my being aware of it. I only wish I had recognized it sooner.”
His words made her heart bound, for they described her feelings toward him with perfect accuracy. How could she doubt his sincerity when she had experienced the same emotions as he claimed to?
Though Jasper spoke softly and the people around them appeared too intent on their own business to take any notice, Evangeline pressed her finger to her lips. “This is not the place to speak of such things.”
Jasper looked around as if becoming aware of the rest of the company for the first time. “You are right, of course. But I do mean to speak of them at my earliest opportunity. In the meantime, if you will not dance with me again so soon, at least let me fetch you another cup of punch?”
“I would be most obliged to you. I had forgotten what thirsty work dancing can be.”
Perhaps a cool draft of punch would dampen the dangerous sparks of ardor his attentions ignited in her. If they blazed out of control they could threaten the life’s work to which she had dedicated herself.
Jasper seemed to take her acceptance as further encouragement. “I shall return in a moment.”
He had gone no distance when Squire Brunskill appeared before Evangeline and requested the honor of the next dance. The squire was a jovial little widower who often spoke kindly to her and the children after church. She accepted his invitation with a degree of eagerness that might have appeared rather forward.
While they waited to take their turn on the dance floor, Jasper returned bearing the promised punch.
The squire mistakenly accepted both cups for Evangeline and himself. “Why, thank you, Mr. Chase. It is very good to see Miss Fairfax enjoying a little local society. She is so devoted to your dear children, but surely the lady deserves a little life of her own.”
The poor man seemed oblivious to the baleful glare he received from Jasper. For a moment Evangeline feared her employer might seize his neighbor by the collar and give him a sound shaking.
Before he had a chance, the squire bolted his punch and shoved the empty cup back into Jasper’s extended hand. “Drink up, Miss Fairfax. The next set is about to form. If you will excuse us, Mr. Chase, I mean to take advantage of her unexpected presence this evening.”
Evangeline did as the squire bid her, torn between alarm, relief and a wild urge to laugh. Finding herself suddenly the object of masculine rivalry was simply too ridiculous!
* * *
Did the squire have any idea how ridiculous he looked fawning over a lady nearly half his age?
Until that evening, Jasper had liked the plainspoken North Countryman who took a benevolent role in the activities of the village. Squire Brunskill had accepted him as a member of the community in spite of his being city bred and having bettered his fortunes by marriage. With no family of his own, the squire clearly doted on Jasper’s children, losing no opportunity to praise their looks, cleverness and behavior.
But as Jasper watched his neighbor dance with Evangeline that evening and ply her with rustic gallantries, he found himself detesting the man. It was clear he had fancied the lady for some time but never found an opportunity to pursue her. The churchyard was hardly the proper place to conduct a courtship. Tonight, as the squire had proclaimed, he was eager to take advantage of her presence.
Worse than that, Evangeline seemed to be encouraging the squire in a deliberate effort to avoid Jasper! Could that be because she had no romantic interest in him and found his attentions distasteful? Or were her feelings quite the opposite and so strong that they alarmed her? After the silent communication that had passed between them during their dance, Jasper was inclined to believe the latter.
He must make Evangeline understand she had nothing to fear from him. But how could he persuade her of that if the squire insisted on monopolizing her company?
In a fever of anxiety, Jasper sought out Norton Brookes and drew him aside for a brief word. “Can I prevail upon you to claim the next dance with Miss Fairfax? A neighbor of mine is making a nuisance of himself.”
His friend glanced toward the dance floor. “I shall always be happy to assist Miss Fairfax, though she does not strike me as a helpless damsel in need of rescue.”
“Of course she’s not helpless!” Jasper bridled at the thought. Even as a young girl, in that repressive school, Evangeline had found ways to stand up for herself and her friends. “But I fear he may take advantage of her good nature to impose upon her.”
Still, his friend did not seem to appreciate the gravity of the situation. “If you are so concerned, why not have a word with the fellow? Or ask Miss Fairfax to dance yourself? That would be no hardship, surely?”
Of course it would not be a hardship! Jasper fought the urge to rage at Norton. His emotions felt raw, too easily inflamed. That was not a pleasant sensation, yet he felt more fully alive, somehow, than he had in a very long time. Perhaps this was part of what Evangeline feared about allowing herself to care too deeply for someone.
“If you will not oblige me, I suppose I shall have to ask her,” he muttered darkly.
The worst she could do was refuse. Jasper told himself that would be a minor setback, though his heart regarded it otherwise. Perhaps a breath of fresh air would help him put the matter in proper perspective.
He turned away from his friend and stalked to the door, making a determined effort to avert his eyes from the dance floor. If he happened to see Evangeline enjoying the squire’s company more than his, he feared he might do something he would regret.
A moment later, he emerged from the assembly hall into the cool air and relative quiet of the village square. A few coachmen had congregated within sight of the door, enjoying a little conversation and refreshment while they waited for their passengers. Jasper turned in the opposite direction and took several long slow breaths in an effort to clear his head.
Before he had managed that properly, Piers Webster appeared. Jasper doubted their meeting was a coincidence.
Mr. Webster wasted no time confirming his suspicion. “Have you and Margaret had a quarrel, then?”
“Nothing of the kind,” Jasper insisted.
It was perfectly true. He liked Margaret Webster as well as ever. They’d never had the slightest disagreement, in contrast to his frequent clashes with Evangeline. He’d believed that was what he wanted from marriage—unbroken tranquility. Now he sensed it would only lull his heart back to sleep. While that might be a comfortable state, how much would he miss as a consequence?
Piers Webster gave a doubtful sniff. “Then why are you skulking out here while my daughter is inside dancing with every bumpkin beau in the pari
sh?”
Jasper hesitated. He wanted to tell Margaret’s father that there could be no match between them because his heart was committed elsewhere. But this was not the proper time. Perhaps he should go back inside, dance with Miss Webster and pretend his intentions toward her had not changed. But he did not want to lead the lady on any more than he had already. Neither did he wish to embarrass her with his obvious neglect. Evangeline had already chided him for that.
“It is not easy to get near her.” Jasper offered the first excuse that came to mind, insisting to his conscience that it was true. “Your daughter is the belle of the ball and justly so. I do not wish to cheat her of her triumph by keeping her all to myself.”
Piers Webster lowered his voice to a menacing rumble. “I did not make my fortune by being thick, you know. You’ve had no trouble getting near that chit of a governess. There looks to be more between you than is proper for master and servant.”
“Miss Fairfax is not a servant!” Jasper could not bear to hear Evangeline referred to in that dismissive way. “There is nothing between us, nor has there ever been.”
Not in the sordid way Mr. Webster meant, certainly. The last thing Jasper wanted was for ugly gossip about them to stain Evangeline’s reputation.
“I am relieved to hear that.” Piers Webster backed down in the face of Jasper’s emphatic denial. “Can you promise me that your intentions toward my daughter are honorable? You haven’t just been trifling with her, amusing yourself at her expense?”
“Of course not!” Jasper cried.
That sounded so deliberately callous. The truth was much more complicated. He’d sincerely believed he and Margaret Webster would make a harmonious match, even though he did not love her. “I have the greatest respect for your daughter. I would never wish to injure or embarrass her. I promise you that my intentions toward her have never been dishonorable.”
The sincerity of his tone seemed to persuade the older man.
“That’s what I wanted to hear!” Piers Webster seized Jasper’s right hand, pumping it up and down vigorously. “If that is how you feel, you had better quit shilly-shallying and propose to my daughter at your first opportunity.”
“P-propose?” The thought rocked Jasper, making it impossible for him to do more than repeat the word like a simpleton who did not understand its meaning.
“Aye. What else?” Piers Webster chortled. “Consider this my blessing to ask her. I’ll expect to see the pair of you engaged before we leave your charming house at the end of the week!”
Chapter Fourteen
“I beg your pardon, sir!” Evangeline cried as she tread on the poor squire’s toes for the second time in as many minutes. “You must be sorry you ever invited such a clumsy partner to dance.”
When she’d danced with Jasper, the need to concentrate on the steps had helped her push troublesome thoughts to the back of her mind. But now they crowded forward to distract her when she most needed to pay attention to what she was doing. Every word he’d spoken that suggested tender feelings for her ran through her thoughts over and over. She was powerless to banish them. Could that be because she did not want to?
One particular idea that he had expressed struck an answering chord in her. More than once he’d mentioned that his feelings had been growing for much longer than he’d realized. Perhaps that was true for her as well. These past years, as she’d witnessed his devotion to the children she loved, had the seeds of trust and tenderness been sown? Had they lain fallow in her heart just waiting for a change of season to blossom?
The squire winced but quickly covered it with a forced smile. “Not to worry, my dear. You are out of practice, that is all. I hope we shall be able to remedy that in the future.”
Evangeline did not contradict him, though she knew it was most unlikely. She would soon be leaving Amberwood to set up her school.
Leaving Jasper and the children? Her heart protested painfully. How could she think of going now that she knew he cared for her the way she did for him?
The very thought brought her heart and soul into such anguished conflict that she turned left when she should have turned right and bumped into Gemma Leveson.
“Forgive me!” She scrambled to correct herself. “I seem to have two left feet this evening.”
Her cheeks blazed. Everyone in the assembly hall must be staring at her, whispering to one another behind raised hands and fans. What had possessed her to come here tonight when she could not execute a simple step without injuring one of the other dancers?
Jasper Chase, her conscience accused her, he was the reason she had come. She’d wanted him to see her in her modest finery, wanted him to converse and dance with her. Had she secretly hoped he would fall in love with her like the young lord in that love ballad?
That had only been an idle fancy, surely. If Jasper truly cared for her and declared such feelings, it would complicate her life and future unbearably. She had only allowed her foolish infatuation for him to grow because she’d been so certain he would never return her feelings. Now that it appeared he might, she could be forced to make some very painful choices.
Evangeline breathed a sigh of relief when the dance finally came to an end without any further disasters. The squire escorted her from the floor, making all manner of kind excuses for her awkwardness. His words washed over Evangeline, scarcely registering in her mind as her gaze darted here and there in search of Jasper.
Would he tease her over her dreadful performance, challenging her to do better when she took the floor with him again? The prospect almost made her forget her embarrassment.
But Jasper was nowhere to be seen.
Was he vexed with her for accepting the squire’s invitation? Had her skittish reaction to his attentions made him think she did not care for him? That might make her situation easier—lifting the burden of decision from her shoulders. Yet her feelings demanded some sort of expression and acknowledgment, even if nothing could come of them.
Squire Brunskill must have sensed her inattention, for he seized her hands and raised his voice to attract her notice. “I should be honored to put my carriage at your disposal any evening you wish to grace us with your presence, Miss Fairfax.”
There could be no mistaking his interest in her. Evangeline wondered why she had not noticed it before. A qualm of shame gripped her for having made light of it earlier. There was nothing amusing about such feelings, especially when they could not be returned. The squire was a good, kind man and she did not want to hurt him. But if there was a man she dared encourage, it was not he.
“That is a very generous offer, sir.” She chose her words with care. “I will bear it in mind if I wish to attend another assembly.”
The squire beamed and gave her hands a squeeze before he released them. Evangeline struggled to hide her distaste. Fortunately Mr. Brookes appeared just then, providing a welcome diversion.
He bowed to her and the squire. “I beg your pardon, Miss Fairfax, but I wonder if you might do me the honor of a dance?”
Squire Brunskill looked as vexed with the vicar as Jasper had with him. “The lady might prefer a little rest and refreshment before she takes the floor again.”
His presumption in answering on her behalf made Evangeline fret less about sparing his feelings. It made her wonder if even the kindest of men were apt to overbear the women they claimed to care about.
“I am not tired in the least.” She took Mr. Brookes’s arm. “Dancing requires less energy than keeping up with five children. If you are brave enough to risk my clumsy dancing, I shall be happy to oblige you.”
As they made their way toward the floor, she murmured, “You are my hero, sir. In gratitude for rescuing me, I shall do my best to avoid treading on your toes.”
The vicar chuckled. “I would appreciate that, but any gratitude you owe is to Mr. Chase. It was he
who asked my help to extract you from an awkward situation. He seemed quite concerned on your behalf. I fear I was not as obliging as I might have been. I suggested he should do the honors himself if it mattered so much to him. I thought he intended to, but then he went off somewhere.”
Why had Jasper asked his friend to intervene rather than doing it himself? Evangeline wondered as she and Mr. Brookes took their places.
During their dance, she managed to keep her promise not to lame her partner, but it required considerable effort. Afterward she received a few more invitations and was able to avoid Squire Brunskill.
But even as she danced with those other partners, Evangeline was intensely aware when Jasper rejoined the company. Would he ask her to dance again, or had he taken her earlier rebuff to heart?
She made herself available for an invitation from him, but none was forthcoming. Her heartbeat picked up tempo whenever Jasper took a step in her direction. It slowed again when he approached one of the other ladies in the party instead. Clearly he considered it his duty to take a turn with each of them, even Mrs. Leveson and his mother-in-law. Had he only danced with her out of a sense of duty? Had all the thrilling things she thought he’d said been no more than products of her futile yearning?
At last Jasper managed to catch Margaret Webster between partners and invited her to take the floor with him. Evangeline turned down an invitation to dance that set, for she knew it would be impossible to keep her mind on the steps. Instead, she sipped punch and pretended to converse with Abigail Brookes, who was content to do most of the talking.
She could not deny that Jasper and Miss Webster made a handsome couple, his dark coloring an attractive contrast to her fair, golden beauty. They danced well together, too. Miss Webster was so sure and graceful in her movements, Jasper seemed more relaxed and confident than when he had danced with Evangeline.
Reason reminded her that she had practically ordered Jasper to pay more attention to Miss Webster. But reason could do nothing to ease the jagged pain that ripped through her heart when she watched them clasp hands or exchange a smile.