Harlequin Historical September 2021--Box Set 2 of 2

by Annie Burrows

  Her mother continued to stare at her, her head tilted, her disbelieving eyebrows raised.

  ‘So we didn’t spend much time together,’ Iris continued, her voice now sounding as defeated as she felt.

  ‘Just enough time to get to know Maxie-Waxie,’ her mother said with a hint of disbelief. At the sound of his name the dog looked at Iris’s mother and recommenced wagging his tail.

  Her mother looked from the happy dog to the frowning Earl. ‘Oh, well, that will not do, will it?’ she said, a note of victory entering her voice. ‘Especially as I am sure you two have much in common.’

  The Earl’s leather chair creaked as he moved uncomfortably and he coughed lightly. We have nothing in common, Iris wanted to shout out. Can’t you see? We don’t even like each other.

  Her mother continued to smile as Charles entered and served the tea. The Earl’s expression reflected Iris’s and she was sure he too was hoping this whole embarrassing incident would be over as soon as politeness allowed.

  ‘We are staying at the estate of my dear friend, Lady Walberton,’ her mother chatted on, while stirring her tea. ‘The Walbertons are your nearest neighbours. I imagine you are all the best of friends as well.’

  Charles smiled at Iris as he handed her a cup, then placed the Earl’s tea on the side table, deliberately making the cup clink so his master would know where it was.

  ‘I have not visited my neighbours for some time,’ the Earl said, ignoring his tea. Anyone other than Iris’s mother would know from the tone of his voice that this was how he liked it and that this was not a conversation he wanted to have. But Iris knew her mother could be relentless when she had made a decision, even if she did cover her single-minded determination with a veneer of ever-so-correct politeness and unrelenting friendliness.

  ‘Oh, that simply will not do,’ she said. ‘We shall have to put that to rights, will we not?’

  ‘There’s nothing that requires being put to rights,’ the Earl said, which was almost word for word what Iris wanted to say.

  The Earl’s dismissive attitude, his sullenness, and obvious lack of encouragement would have deterred a less determined woman, but Iris knew it would not put off her mother. It wasn’t just because she saw the Earl as a potential husband for her middle daughter. Her mother was by nature of a happy disposition and expected everyone else to be the same. She simply would not tolerate anyone wallowing in misery. The Earl should just surrender now, paste a smile on his face and give in to her mother’s demands.

  ‘Lady Walberton is one of my closest friends and I am sure she will be delighted when I inform her that I have invited you to join us for dinner tonight. Most of the guests are leaving today, so it will just be a small, intimate dinner party and it will give us all a perfect opportunity to deepen our friendship.’

  The Earl’s jaw clenched tighter and his spine became rigid.

  ‘That will not be convenient,’ he said, slowly enunciating each word so his intent would be clear.

  ‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ Iris said, giving her mother a pleading look, even though she knew it to be a fruitless gesture. ‘If the Earl is busy then he won’t be able to come.’

  ‘Nonsense,’ her mother said. ‘I doubt if it is anything that cannot be put off to a later date, and, as we are only staying at Lady Walberton’s until the end of the week, I am sure you can make time this evening.’

  ‘Lady Springfeld, I will not be coming to dinner tonight, or any other night. I do not socialise with my neighbours,’ he said, the forcefulness of his voice in stark contrast to her mother’s cheerfulness.

  ‘Well, that needs to change, does it not?’ her mother said, unaffected by his tone. ‘And tonight will be the perfect time for that change to occur. Shall we say eight o’clock? Then you will be able to partake in a sociable drink before we dine.’

  He made no answer.

  ‘You might as well know, my lord,’ Lady Springfeld said, still keeping her voice light as if they were merely having a pleasant chat, ‘that I do not give up. It is much easier just to do as I ask.’

  ‘That is something I am becoming aware of, madam,’ he said, not bothering to stifle a huff of exasperation.

  ‘But if you are unable to come to this one dinner party tonight, then I am sure I can arrange to visit you again with my daughter each day before we leave. And I am sure there are many other guests who would be just as delighted as I am to see this house. Perhaps you would be able to take them on tours. I know you would not want everyone coming at once, so we could arrange for a few each day, some in the morning, some in the afternoon and some in the evening.’

  Iris had never seen her mother be quite so ruthless, and her mouth fell open in amazement, causing her mother to put her hand under Iris’s chin and push it shut.

  ‘That most certainly will not be convenient,’ the Earl said, speaking slowly through a clenched jaw. He drew in a long, slow breath then just as slowly exhaled. ‘All right. If that will be the end of it, I will dine at Lady Walberton’s tonight.’

  ‘Oh, good,’ her mother said, stirring her tea with satisfaction and ignoring Iris’s look of disapproval. ‘I’m sure you will thoroughly enjoy yourself and it will be the beginning of some long-lasting relationships.’ She sent Iris a triumphant smile. ‘With your neighbours, I mean.’

  CHAPTER TEN

  Theo would not have thought it possible, but the mother was even worse than the daughter. She was even more relentlessly cheerful, even less capable of grasping the basic concept that she and her daughter were not welcome in his home, and now this ridiculously joyful woman was seeing him as a potential husband for her daughter.

  At least the daughter did not have such aspirations, if the constant squirming in her chair and occasional huffs of disapproval were anything to go by. That was one thing in Lady Iris’s favour. He was pleased to note that she was not a husband-hunter.

  But if agreeing to attend a dinner at the Walbertons’ would get rid of them once and for all, unfortunately the best course of action was to grin and bear it. Well, he doubted he would spend much time grinning, but he would have to bear it. He would endure just about anything if it meant he could be left in peace. Now that the mother had what she wanted, he waited with as much patience as he could summon for them to make their much-anticipated farewells.

  No such farewells came.

  ‘Oh, you have not drunk your tea and it must have gone cold by now,’ Lady Springfeld chirped instead. ‘We must call for more.’

  ‘That’s quite all right. I didn’t actually want any tea,’ he cut in, wanting to add, and I didn’t want this visit either and the sooner you leave the better.

  The swish of moving fabric signalled he had his wish. Thank God for that. He stood up and reached out for the bell to summon Charles to escort them out. His hand found only empty space. Then he heard the tinkling of a bell. His bell.

  That infernal woman had crossed the room and taken his bell from his table. She wasn’t leaving, merely taking over and ordering his servants about.

  Charles appeared as commanded.

  ‘You called, my lord?’ he said.

  ‘No, I called you, Charles,’ the mother replied before he could speak. ‘The Earl’s tea has gone cold. Could you fetch him another cup, please?’

  ‘Very good, my lady.’ It seemed Charles had decided he now took orders from this unwanted visitor.

  ‘The Earl said he didn’t want any tea,’ Lady Iris said in a quiet, impatient voice. It was a pertinent comment. One that was ignored by her mother. Instead, the mother merely shuffled her way back across the room and sat down.

  Apparently, he and Lady Iris now had one thing in common. They were united in their annoyance with her mother. No, they had two things in common. They both wanted this visit to be over as soon as possible. Or was that three? Neither wanted to be married to the other.

  He had little
control over the first two, but he most certainly had control over the third. Lady Springfeld would not be getting him up the aisle at any time soon. And Theo could only wonder as to her motives. If Lady Iris was as sought-after as her mother claimed, why was she so keen to foist her daughter off onto a man like him? He might be wealthy with a title, but, when it came to the qualities that a mother looked for in a husband for her daughter, blindness and hideous scarring were not usually high up on the list. But it mattered not what the mother was thinking. She would not be marrying off her daughter to him.

  He sat back down, resigned himself to tolerating the two ladies’ company a little longer and tried to blot out the sound of the mother as she resumed her cheerful chattering.

  Charles arrived with yet another unwanted pot of tea, removed his cold cup and replaced it with a fresh one, which Theo would also be ignoring. The murmuring of thanks, clinking of cups and stirring of teaspoons signalled that the two ladies were also having a second cup. Theo swallowed a sigh of irritation.

  ‘Has your family lived in this area long?’ Lady Springfeld asked. A polite question, which every member of the aristocracy knew was full of intent when asked by the mother of an unwed daughter. She was really asking, How long is your lineage, are you a well-established member of the aristocracy and what will our family gain by joining with yours?

  ‘Quite some time,’ Theo answered vaguely, not wanting to encourage her by mentioning that his family tree went back to before the time of the Tudors. A family tree that would end with him. He had no intention of bringing children into a world such as this. Instead, his cousins would inherit the estate, and Theo did not care one bit.

  ‘And it looks as if you own an extensive estate, and it is a rather beautiful one, I must say,’ the mother continued.

  Theo merely nodded his agreement, wondering whether she wanted him to get out his financial records so she could inspect how much he was worth.

  ‘We had such a lovely walk over here, did we not, Iris?’

  ‘Oh, yes,’ said Lady Iris. ‘And perhaps we should take our leave and walk back to the Walbertons’ now. I’m sure the Earl has much to do and we’ve taken enough of his time.’

  Sensible, sensible girl. She too could see the pointlessness of her mother’s matchmaking. Or, even more likely, was horrified with the prospect of her mother trying to hitch her up to a man like him. Memories of last night’s encounter crashed back into his mind and Theo moved uncomfortably in his chair. Of course she would not want to marry him. What woman in her right mind would want to marry a man who cried out in his sleep, a man she believed needed to be comforted like a child? Presumably Lady Iris had not passed this rather unfortunate bit of information on to her mother. If she had, he doubted she would be so keen to have him as a son-in-law.

  ‘I wouldn’t want to keep you any longer,’ he said, hoping the mother would take his not-so-subtle hint and leave him in peace.

  But no, Lady Springfeld’s prattle continued as she asked interminable questions about the house’s history and the surrounding countryside, and at every possible opportunity managed to make a comment about how beautiful and talented her daughter was.

  Each question was answered with as few words as possible, while comments on Lady Iris’s beauty required no response at all. He cared nothing of what she looked like. Why would he? He was blind, for God’s sake. And surely the mother must be aware of that. Lady Iris could bear a passing resemblance to a gargoyle and he would neither know nor care. In fact, that might endear the daughter to him much more than all her supposed good looks ever could.

  He knew from experience how fickle beautiful women were, how self-serving and how they used their beauty for their own advancement. Although, to be fair, Lady Iris did not really fit into that pattern. She was a young woman and not yet wed. As her mother had said, she was sweet, well-mannered and, he reluctantly had to agree, some would consider her rather charming. If she had good looks as well, and the sizable dowry that her mother had hinted at, there was no reason why she should not be married advantageously already. Perhaps there was something amiss with Lady Iris that he literally and figuratively could not see.

  Finally, after an interminably long time, Lady Springfeld began to chatter about returning to the Walbertons’ house. He stood up before she had a chance to change her mind.

  ‘I hope you have a pleasant walk home,’ he said.

  And I hope you leave now and never return.

  ‘Oh, we will, we will,’ the cheerful woman said. ‘And we will look forward to seeing you tonight, do you not agree, Iris?’

  ‘Yes, I’m looking forward to it with as much anticipation as the Earl,’ Lady Iris said, almost causing Theo to smile.

  ‘I don’t believe that could be possible,’ he said instead with a bow. ‘Until tonight, Lady Springfeld, Lady Iris.’ With the greatest of pleasure, he rang the bell and Charles came to escort them out of the room.

  The two women bustled their way to the door, followed by the traitorous Max, who reluctantly came to heel at the flick of Theo’s fingers. When the door closed Theo collapsed into his chair, relieved to finally be alone again. All he had to do now was suffer one tedious social evening and his life could return to normal, the way it had been before the perpetually sunny Lady Iris and her equally irritating mother had burst into his life.

  * * *

  It had been a long time since Theo had dressed in formal evening wear. He had once enjoyed the ritual of preparing for an evening out and had done so full of anticipation of the pleasures to come.

  But not tonight. Having to shave for a second time that day and change into his evening suit was a rigmarole he had avoided for the last six years, and now all he could think was that it was more effort than it could possibly be worth.

  Damn woman. Damn daughter. The sooner this evening was over the happier he would be. He’d much rather spend the evening in front of the fire with his faithful companion, Max. Well, his companion who was usually faithful. When the dog was in Lady Iris’s company, he immediately forgot who and what he was. He ceased to be a noble, faithful Irish wolfhound and became a doting lapdog called Maxie-Waxie.

  ‘Maxie-Waxie, indeed.’

  ‘I beg your pardon, my lord?’ his valet asked.

  Theo was shocked that he had voiced his annoyance out loud. Those women really were getting under his skin. ‘I’d appreciate it if someone could take Max for his evening walk tonight, as I will be otherwise engaged,’ he said, to cover his awkwardness.

  ‘Very good, my lord,’ James said, and continued to brush down Theo’s jacket. ‘I’m pleased to say, my lord, the suit still fits you perfectly,’ he added.

  Theo could tell from his voice that James was now standing back and admiring his handiwork. He could also detect that the man had been smiling while he made that observation. What on earth did the man have to smile about? Why should he care about the way his master was dressed? He could not have fallen under Lady Iris’s spell the way Max had so easily done, could he? Or was it merely that he was pleased that Theo was attending a social event after all these years?

  Whatever it was, James had better enjoy it while he could, because after tonight he would not be going out into Society again, and he hopefully would not be seeing Lady Iris or her infernal mother again either.

  Six years ago he had turned his back on a life that included endless dinner parties, balls, nights at the theatre and other such fripperies. It was a life that had eventually brought him nothing but disappointment and pain. He gritted his teeth together to push away all memories of his life before the accident. He had once lived in a delusional bubble, where he had not known what people were really like, what coldness could lie behind a pretty face and an enchanting smile.

  No, he would not be returning to that false world. The neighbours now knew better than to disturb him—he just had to get the same message through to those infuriating
women. They had to be made to understand that tonight would be an aberration, one that would not be repeated.

  The valet carefully tied Theo’s bow tie.

  ‘You look quite your old self, my lord,’ James said, ‘if I may be so bold as to say so.’

  Theo was tempted to tell him that no, he should not be so bold, but he knew the man meant well. It was hardly James’s fault that Theo was in a bad mood that was all down to Lady Iris, her mother and this damnable dinner party.

  ‘Thank you, James, that will be all,’ he said instead, dismissing both his valet and the man’s unwanted good mood.

  James handed him his cane, top hat and gloves, then left.

  Theo counted his steps towards the door, down the hallway, the stairs and the route out of the entrance hall. Using the snorting of the horses to guide himself to the carriage, he waved away the help of the coachman, and climbed up the steps. Then, with an exasperated sigh that no one would hear, he sat down and tapped his cane on the roof to signal to the driver he was ready to depart.

  He rarely carried his cane. He knew every inch of his home and was familiar with the estate and surrounding area, so could easily find his way around, but he had not been in the Walbertons’ home since the accident, so he would need it this evening. He had been a regular visitor to the house when he still had his sight, so knew the layout well, but he knew from bitter experience that when he was out of his own environment there were myriad obstacles that could trip him up, and he was loath to make even more of a spectacle of himself tonight than was absolutely necessary. That meant he would still have to draw attention to himself and his infirmity by finding his way with the aid of a walking stick.

  Damn that as well.

  He did not need his neighbours treating him in a pitying manner, did not need to hear the condescension in their voices, did not need to experience the indignity of their rushing to the aid of the poor cripple. He would not allow them to feel sorry for him, to judge him, to see themselves as his superiors.