by Meara Platt
“Are we in agreement?” Penelope asked.
“Yes.” Olivia stuck out her hand and waited for her friends to place theirs on top of hers. “One for all and all for one. Penelope experiments on Thad. Poppy on Nathaniel. And I have Beast. I think we ought to start off cautiously. One man at a time. I’ve already read the book, so let me go first. I’ll test Beast’s sense receptacles. I’ll start with something easy. Something he isn’t likely to notice.”
Penelope tipped her head, now curious. “Such as?”
“I don’t know yet. Let’s set a plan of action together. I’ll carry it out and then report my findings to you at the end of each day. But it is vitally important you also observe Beast and let me know your thoughts. If something appears to be working, I must be told at once.”
Penelope laughed softly. “Oh, I think if something works on Beast, you’ll know. We won’t have to tell you anything.”
Olivia frowned, suddenly worried about the possibilities. “What do you mean?”
“Beast is a war hero. A man of action. If aroused, he’ll do something about it,” Poppy said.
“What do you think he’ll do?” Olivia’s thoughts began to whirl madly in her head.
Penelope laughed again. “Oh, my. Olivia, you look like you’re about to faint. I didn’t mean anything too awful. Perhaps kiss you, for starters.”
“Kiss me? For starters?” She fanned herself with her hand. “And then what?”
Poppy giggled. “Sweep you into his arms, carry you to his bedchamber, and toss you onto his bed while he whips off his shirt and achingly vows that he cannot live another moment without you.”
Olivia breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, for pity’s sake, Poppy. We are talking about Beast, not some silly boy. Besides, he won’t dare do anything while his bombazine-clad, dragon aunt is at Sherbourne with us.”
Poppy grinned. “Are you sure?”
*
Beast stood on the front steps of Sherbourne Manor with his friends, Nathaniel and Thad, looking out across its expansive grounds. His gaze followed theirs toward the distant pond where Nathaniel’s young cousin, Phillip, was tossing pebbles at the ducks in the water. Their angry quacks reached Beast’s ears and should have caught the attention of the three girls huddled together on the trunk of a fallen oak beside the tranquil pool.
But Goose and her friends were too engrossed in that idiotic book. They ignored Phillip. And ignored the angry ducks that were now chasing him away from the pond and into the nearby meadow. “That damn Book of Love.”
He rued the day he’d purchased it for Goose.
“What did you say?” Nathaniel asked.
“Nothing.” He didn’t dare tell his friends. Not before he got his hands on the book and made certain it did not contain anything obscene. Nathaniel would pound his face to dust for corrupting those innocents and he would not raise a hand to defend himself. “I’ll go see what they are doing.”
“Don’t bother,” Nathaniel said. “I’m sure it’s harmless fun. Loopy and her friends aren’t little girls anymore. They don’t need looking after.”
“Och,” Thad said with a groaning laugh. “It’s the big girls that are the trouble. I’ll go with you, Beast.”
Nathaniel shook his head and sighed. “Very well, I’ll go, too. I’d better save Pip before the ducks do him permanent damage. Not that he doesn’t deserve it.”
By the time they’d walked down to the pond, Nathaniel’s sister had caught up to their impish cousin and was walking hand in hand with him back toward the pond. Phillip, known casually as Pip, had been Nathaniel’s ward for about a year now. Thad lifted the boy onto his shoulders, which thrilled the imp to no end and also served the purpose of keeping him from running off again. But Penelope was frowning at Thad.
For the life of him, Beast could not understand why. Thad hadn’t said a word to her. Apparently, Thad was wondering the same. “Och, Loopy. What did I do to vex ye this time? Ye look like one of those ducks got their beak stuck up your backside.”
Penelope gasped. “And you look like the backside of a duck, you big Scottish oaf. Don’t call me Loopy.”
Nathaniel laughed. “Come along, Poppy. We’d better walk ahead before they bite our heads off, too.”
Which left Beast standing beside Olivia. She had her hands behind her back, obviously attempting to hide the book from him. “Beast, thank you again for making this visit possible. You were brilliant yesterday. Fiery and frightening. You had Lord Gosling quaking in his boots. I wouldn’t be here if not for you.”
Beast frowned. “He won’t make you suffer for spending the week here, will he?”
“No. He wouldn’t dare. Let’s not speak of him. I’d much rather enjoy the lovely day.”
“Very well, but I’m going to insist on seeing that book.” He held out his hand to receive it, but she shook her head and took a step back.
“I promise to show it to you at the end of the week.”
“Are you negotiating with me?”
She tipped her chin up. “Yes, I am. I think I am being quite reasonable.”
“Why won’t you show it to me now?”
She smiled at him, an adorably sweet and thoroughly enchanting smile. “Because I enjoy teasing you.”
He laughed.
“And it contains secrets that only a woman should know. Things not appropriate for a bachelor to read.”
He ought to have simply taken the blasted thing from her hands. If it was not suitable material for him to read, then it could not possibly be suitable for her. But something stopped him. He wasn’t certain why, only that the sun was shining on Goose’s red hair and there was a happy sparkle in her eyes. When he’d met her yesterday, they’d been clouded with worries and burdens a debutante should not have had placed upon her shoulders. “Very well. End of the week it is, for now.”
“Thank you, Beast.” Obviously surprised by his easy capitulation, she tossed him another sparkling smile and ran ahead to catch up to Poppy and Nathaniel. Lord, she still ran like a little goose.
He didn’t know why he found that so charming.
Chapter Three
“Come give us a kiss, Olivia.” Penelope’s aunt, Lady Lavinia Sherbourne, held up her cheek to receive her greeting. Olivia then greeted Beast’s aunt, Matilda, with much more formality, giving a curtsy as they were introduced and holding her breath while the dowager duchess eyed her speculatively.
They were in the summer salon that overlooked the Sherbourne garden, the two dowagers looking quite regal in their matching red silk wing chairs that were placed side by side. But Lavinia had a warm smile for Olivia as she continued to engage her in conversation. “We’ve hardly seen you since the new Lord Gosling closed up Gosling Hall. The mornings always seemed brighter when I watched you run across the meadow between our homes and burst onto our terrace to join us for eggs and kippers.”
Olivia smiled. “Our morning routine. You, me, and Penelope. I miss those days, too.”
“Don’t forget me,” Poppy said, giving Lady Lavinia a hug. “Our home wasn’t as close by, but I would join you on the weekends.”
“Poppy, dearest. I would never forget you.” Lady Lavinia cast each of them a tender smile. “And now look at the three of you, all grown up and quite beautiful.”
Penelope shook her head and laughed. “I doubt Nathaniel and his friends think so. I’m sure they still consider us nuisances. Their tastes run to more sophisticated ladies of the ton.”
Beast’s aunt, Matilda, who had appeared quite stern and imposing at first, quickly jumped into the conversation. “Those boys don’t know what they want.” Once again, she studied Olivia with a speculative eye. “You’re the one my nephew calls Goose, are you not?”
Olivia’s cheeks heated as she cast her a wincing smile. “Yes, unfortunately he seems determined to call me that even though I am now in my debut Season. He claims I still run like a little goose.”
“Well, at least he’s taken notice of you. He hasn’t shown interest in an
y young lady since his return to England. He’s already been introduced to many of the highest rank and all quite beautiful.”
Olivia’s stomach sank into her toes. “Yes, yes. Of course, he is a favorite of the royal family and I’m sure they’d like to see him marry well. Perhaps one of their own cousins. I suppose you would, too.”
She cast a glance in Beast’s direction and her expression turned tender and quite doting. “I would like to see him marry happily.”
Beast, looking elegant as ever and dangerously mysterious with the black eyepatch over his injured eye, strode forward as his aunt spoke those words. He frowned at all of them. “Sorry to disappoint you. No plans to marry. Not now. Not in the foreseeable future. Perhaps not ever. So let’s move on to another topic. Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it? Thad’s lumbago is acting up. He believes we’ll have rain tomorrow.”
Matilda rolled her eyes. “My dear boy, if that is the quality of conversation we’re to have all week, then I shall pack up my gowns and have your carriage brought around to take me home at once.”
He planted a noisy kiss on his aunt’s cheek. “Empty threat. I know you adore me. You may have others convinced that you’re a dragon, but I know you are a tender lamb.”
And Beast was a magnificent lion.
Olivia sighed over the loving way he teased and cajoled his aunt. The man was capable of affection. Deep, abiding affection toward those he cared for. It made her realize just how empty and devoid of it she’d been these past two years. Some people managed quite well in a quiet household where no one laughed or hugged or cared about another’s thoughts.
But she was not one of those people.
She craved silliness and chatter and hugs for no reason. Those were the best, for they reflected happiness and sprang from all good places in the heart.
Beast suddenly turned to her, as though he sensed the path of her thoughts. What was he going to do?
He arched an eyebrow and the edges of his mouth curled up in the hint of a grin. “What are your thoughts on the weather, Goose?”
She shook her head and laughed. “Your aunt now has a firm grip on her walking cane and shall club you over the head if you persist in talking about the dullest topic in existence. But I will say if the rain holds off, Pip and I plan to go to the meadow after breakfast tomorrow in search of butterflies.”
“Would you care to join us, Your Grace?” Pip asked. “We have nets, and Olivia brought me a sketch book so we can draw pictures of all the varieties we see. I would rather catch spiders and snakes, but she’s afraid of them. So, it’s butterflies for us.”
Olivia smiled at Penelope’s young cousin who was hopping beside her and looked about ready to rip off his cravat and collar and toss them to Lavinia’s lapdog, Periwinkle, to chew on. “I’ll compromise. Perhaps afterward, we shall go by the pond and look for tadpoles.”
Pip rolled his eyes. “Fine.”
Beast shook his head. “I have to ride back to London in the morning. Perhaps another time.”
Olivia turned to him in surprise. “You’re leaving?”
“Only for the day. I’ll be back shortly after supper. At least, I hope Prinny won’t require me to stay longer. He’s hosting a luncheon in my honor.”
“And I wasn’t invited?” Nathaniel teased. “After all, I am an earl.”
Beast emitted a soft rumble of laughter, his voice deep and resonant. “Dukes only, I’m afraid. You and Thad don’t qualify.”
Thad gave a derisive snort. “Are they still intent on introducing you to that Austrian princess?”
“A real princess? Will that make you king of Austria?” Pip asked, his eyes wide and approving.
Nathaniel laughed. “He’d merely be Prince Consort. Will you invite us to your castle on the Danube after the wedding?”
“How many bairns will they expect you to sire?” Thad’s grin was wide and mocking.
Beast shot both of them a glower. “When did you turn into gossiping, old hens? It’s a meal, that’s all. No wedding. No bride. No leaving England.”
Pip looked crestfallen. “Then you won’t be king?”
Beast ruffled his hair playfully. “No. Not even close.”
“What if you’re ordered to marry the Austrian princess?” Olivia found herself breathlessly blurting. “What will you do then?”
More to the point, what would she do? It wasn’t merely a matter of losing her test specimen. She felt a sudden and deep sense of loss over possibly losing him. But he’d hardly been in her life. Only a few summers when she’d been a little girl. Lovely summers, to be sure. But they were so long ago. And then a chance meeting yesterday.
Why was Beast so important to her?
“Goose, enough. I am not marrying anyone. The royal family will not force me to do anything I don’t wish to do.”
Her heart was pounding fiercely and her body began to tremble, but she fought off her momentary weakness and quickly regained her composure. “Will you tell us all about it when you return?”
He shrugged. “Some of it.”
She nodded, afraid to say more. Perhaps she had not quite regained control of her feelings. In truth, her heart pounded even faster now. Beast was staring at her. Did he know she was falling to pieces? She was trying very hard to appear calm on the surface.
His gaze continued to bore into her, that black eyepatch and the dark superfine of his jacket as he turned his broad shoulders to face her, were all she saw. She was caught up in his lion gaze, in the turbulent swirls of his amber-green eyes. Then she thought she might be dizzy because she heard a ringing in her ears.
Beast grinned. “The dinner bell, Goose.”
Oh, he must think her an utter nitwit. “Of course, it is.” Knowing Beast would have to lead his aunt into the dining room, she turned to Pip. “Will you be my escort?”
The boy nodded. “How long do I have to sit there and pretend to enjoy myself?”
“A long time, I’m afraid. But you’ll have me for company and you can talk to me all about your spiders and snakes. I promise not to cringe.”
“Perhaps Cook has whipped up some boiled snakes and roasted spiders for our supper,” Beast remarked.
The boy’s eyes brightened. “That would be spectacular! Olivia, have you ever eaten a spider?”
“No.” She gave a mock shiver. “Have you?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
Oh, dear. Olivia hoped she hadn’t put any ideas into the boy’s already too fertile mind. “Don’t you dare attempt it. Some of them are poisonous.”
Pip dismissed her warning. “Not around here, they’re not. Our meadow spiders are harmless.”
“Perhaps,” Beast said, “but you don’t know what they’ve eaten. What’s being dissolved in a spider’s digestive juices may not be harmless to you.”
Beast’s aunt groaned. “I forbid further discussion on this topic as well. You are all ruining my appetite.”
Moments later, they entered the dining room with its dark wood floors and tall windows that allowed in ample light. They sat down around the mahogany table that could easily accommodate twenty. Crystal glasses, elegant china, and gleaming silverware adorned a crisp, white tablecloth trimmed in delicate French lace.
They ate a supper of roast goose, which in Olivia’s mind was almost as bad as speaking of spiders, for Pip had now taken up calling her Goose and was making jokes about how delicious her sister, said roast goose, tasted. That would have been harmless enough had he not made comments about sticking a fork in her and seeing how she tasted.
Olivia looked upon him appalled when he actually poked his fork lightly into her arm and then began to lick it with zeal. Her eyes rounded in horror when he muttered “yum” and “delicious” and began to make awful slurping and gobbling sounds. All three grown men were now snorting and chortling. Although Beast, to his credit, was rather quiet after his initial choking cough. He merely stared at her down the table in a way that had her body tingling with excitement.
That look!
Even with one good eye and the other hidden behind the eyepatch, there was something in his gaze that aroused her. Had he read The Book of Love? Was he using it to… no, he was too much of a gentleman to seduce her. And too accomplished and sophisticated to seriously consider her as a prospective wife.
“That will be quite enough,” Lavinia intoned. “You rascals are not too big to take to the woodshed for a sound thrashing. At least the boy is innocently teasing Olivia. I know what your polluted minds are thinking. Leave the poor girl alone. Pip, one more word out of you and I shall feed you to the spiders.”
“That won’t be so bad. At least I wouldn’t have to sit here wrapped up tight as a mummy. How can anyone breathe wearing these cravats? I’d rather eat alone in my room.”
Olivia’s heart tugged. “You don’t mean that, Pip. Don’t you wish for company?”
He gave a wounded shrug. “It doesn’t matter.”
She sighed. “I’ll share supper with you tomorrow evening.”
“And I’ll share it with you the following evening,” Poppy said. “With Nathaniel’s permission, I’ll bring my cousin, Charles, with me next time. He loves to play marbles, and while he’s a few years younger than you, I think you’ll find him to be lots of fun.”
Now Nathaniel was giving Poppy the same look Beast had given her. “That’s an excellent idea, Poppy. You and your cousin are always welcome here.”
Were these men starting to take notice of them? But they hadn’t done anything yet. Or had they inadvertently been arousing their lower brain senses? She had to speak to Penelope and Poppy before they retired to bed. This was a most exciting observation and she couldn’t wait to share it with them.
When supper was over, Pip tore out of the dining room, peeling off his cravat as he ran upstairs. The men retired to the study for a glass of port, and the ladies retired to the salon. The older women settled in their wing chairs and had a glass of sherry served to them.
“That was a sweet thing you did for the boy, Olivia,” Beast’s aunt remarked, casting her an unexpectedly warm smile.