Winter agreed.
“But,” the woman protested, “thin fabric is all the rage.”
“Absolutely not. Now put that fabric away.”
Winter was horrified at all the things the duchess ordered for her. Not only did she order morning, afternoon and evening gowns, but also walking, carriage and garden dresses and more. Along with them the duchess ordered matching or contrasting reticules, hats, sashes and slippers. There were also lace nightgowns and warm robes, pelisses and capes and delicate shawls and a host of items the duchess considered necessary.
After the modiste and her assistants left, Winter sank down into the nearest chair, totally drained and out of countenance that Alistair had forced her to come to London. The cost of the gowns alone made her shiver and would make a large hole in her coffers. But to have Alistair stand the expense was unthinkable.
She would need to deal with him later when she could speak with her guardian alone. Meanwhile, she joined the duchess and Alistair in the parlour for tea wearing one of her new gowns the duchess had purchased the day before. As she entered the room, she warmed in the admiration in Alistair’s eyes.
He must have noticed the lines etched under her eyes and the tenseness in her stubborn little jaw. “The afternoon tiring?”
Winter managed a nod before sitting down. She could not speak freely in front of his aunt, who had been so kind to her. Sensing her predicament the odious man smiled.
The duchess poured out the tea in dainty Dresden china cups. Cradling hers in her hands, Winter sipped gratefully, feeling the warmth flow down her throat and soothe her troubled spirit.
Later she returned to her bedchamber to rest. Staring up at the canopy over the bed she prayed. “Lord, please let her grace retire early as she did last night so I can talk to Lord Alistair.”
Her prayer was not answered. After dinner the duchess joined them and stayed with them until Winter, herself, retired.
For the next couple of days, Winter scarcely saw her guardian, who always seemed to be heading out somewhere and always with a worried frown on his face. Several times she caught him in earnest conversation with Mary.
“What if she finds out?” Mary touched his arm in anything but a servile manner.
“For her sake let’s hope she does not. Mary, I...”
Seeing Winter approach, Mary’s hand dropped from Alistair’s arm. “Ah, Winter. I was asking Mary about you.” Alistair took Winter’s arm. “Seems I have far too many pressing matters to attend right now to give you proper attention.”
He dismissed the abigail with a nod. “But Mary tells me you are getting along fine with Aunt Helen. Even to the tutoring in etiquette. Good. Very good. Unfortunately, I must leave you again.” Touching her cheek, he smiled. “Until later.”
Winter watched him throw his many caped coat over his broad shoulders, place his top hat at a rakish angle on his head and stride out the door, deferentially held open by the pompous butler.
Suspicions whirled in Winter’s mind. Surely her guardian wasn’t seeking a dalliance with her abigail?
The only thing Winter could get from Mary was a firm declaration. “I love my husband, m’lady. Never would I do anything disloyal to him.”
This left Winter puzzled and uneasy. Though she wanted to confront her guardian, she decided he was not likely to tell her the truth of the matter. Her anger simmered, believing he purposely avoided her.
Mayhap he would permit her to return home. Then she could escape being exposed to the eyes of the critical ton. She broke out in a cold sweat just thinking of her “presentation.”
Her prayers became more earnest. “Why must I go through this? Please let me go home, Lord. I have no business trying to pass myself off as some refined lady.”
When she cautiously broached the subject with the duchess, her grace assured Winter, “Stuff and feathers, child. Lord Alistair is planning to escort you to a social affair this very evening. Did I not tell you?”
* * *
After a bath, Mary fastened Winter into one of her new gowns. Sheer lace shimmered over the cool silk undergown. The neckline fell modestly while the sleeves puffed at the shoulders then buttoned tightly to her delicate wrists. A wide black sash encircled her high-waisted gown and a silver filigreed band circled her head.
“M’lady,” Mary exclaimed, her face alight, “you look like shimmering moonlight.”
Winter smiled at the enthusiasm of her abigail, but gave it little credence until she witnessed the startled look on Alistair’s face when she descended the stairs. While others might have descended slowly for effect, Winter did so because she was terrified not only of the evening ahead, but also of tripping on her short train.
Stepping down the last step, Winter, elated by Alistair’s response, grinned up at him. She posed. “Do I pass your scrutiny, m’lord?”
Frowning, he tucked her small hand in the crook of his arm. “You are much too impertinent for my ward. You are all the crack.”
The duchess winced. “Justin, your cant language.”
Winter frowned. “That is all right. I well know how short I fall.”
His grip on her arm tightened. “Forgive me, Winter. You are a lovely young woman and don’t forget that.”
* * *
In the dim light of the lantern, Alistair studied his ward, wondering why his throat constricted and his heart rate increased. With a frown he realized that, after all, some young buck might look beyond her defects to her special beauty both inside and out.
Glancing up at him, Winter clasped her gloved hands. “I’ll try not to embarrass you tonight.”
“What?” Her hesitancy wiped the frown from his face. “I doubt you’ll ever do that. In truth, I predict your card will soon be filled with young coxcombs wanting to dance with you.”
“Dance? I didn’t know this was a ball. I had hoped to talk to you about that.” She glanced frantically from her guardian to the duchess and back again. “I don’t dance!”
The duchess stared at her. “Why ever not?” Winter seemed to cringe at her impatient tone.
She whispered, “I am afraid of falling or making a cake of myself.”
Mentally Alistair kicked himself. Strange. Winter was so vital and alive, most of the time, he forgot all about her problems.
“Must I dance? Mayhap you will send me back to the house?” Alistair heard the note of relief in her voice.
“No, not that.” Alistair noted the fear that sprang to her eyes. “But if it bothers you, I’ll stand up for you until you feel more comfortable.” He put his large hand over her clenched hands. “I’ll not permit anyone to hurt or to frighten you, Winter. You have to believe that.”
She took a deep breath as though to steady her trembling. “I’ll hold you to that.”
A hush pervaded the huge, opulently decorated ballroom when the majordomo announced, “The Duchess Ramsdale. The Earl of Alistair and Lady Renton.”
Winter clutched Alistair’s arm and walked without a telltale limp. Guests turned and heads bent to whisper over the silver-gowned young woman on Alistair’s arm. He murmured, “I’m sensing envy.”
Winter glanced toward her escort. “Who wouldn’t envy me when my escort looks so refined in his black superfine formal wear.”
Catching her scrutiny, Alistair whispered, “Well, do I pass muster?”
A flush burned across her cheeks. “At least no one will pay much attention to me when I am with you.”
He heard her relief and was determined to show her how elegant, lovely and absolutely desirable she truly was. Desirable? For a moment he frowned. Now where did that thought come from? Surveying his companion, he once more felt his heartbeat quicken.
They followed the duchess, who introduced Winter to a host of ladies sitting in comfortable chairs set along the wall. At each,
Winter smiled and did the pretty, reluctantly offering her hand even though she wore silvery gloves that disguised the deformity of her fingers.
Sitting down in one of the chairs by her friends, the duchess motioned toward Alistair and Winter. “Now, Justin, take good care of our Winter. Be sure to bring her to me if you go off.”
A laconic smile touched Alistair’s lips. “I know how to behave in polite company, Aunt Helen.”
Nodding toward his ward, he chuckled. “You heard the duchess, Winter. You must have a good time.”
With an amused grin, he led Winter onto the polished dance floor, where couples partnered in the slow, stately dance. Holding Winter closer than regulations dictated, Alistair led her into the movements. Observing the firm set of her lips, the frown of concentration in her eyes, he whispered, “Relax. I will not let you fall. Should you trip, I will hold you up and no one will ever know. Besides—” he glanced toward the other couples “—the others are too busy to notice us.”
Winter murmured, “Just like Jesus.”
Startled, Alistair asked, “What?”
“Like you, Jesus promised to hold us up and not let us fall. I thought He had failed me to make me come here tonight, but now—” she smiled a soft, devastating smile before continuing “—I know He sent you.”
Her trust set him back. “Oh, Winter. I am far from a saint. I...”
“I am well aware of that.” He wondered at the sudden flash of anger in her eyes. “But tonight you are an answer to my prayers.”
Humbled, Alistair held her more securely. “Then relax. Listen to the music and move with it.”
Closing her eyes, Winter seemed to let the music flow over her. Holding her close, Alistair looked down into her beautiful face, which reflected a sense of contentment and joy. He could hardly look away.
When the piece ended, she opened her eyes. “Is it over already?”
Alistair chuckled and began leading her to the sidelines when the orchestra struck up a tune and the line formed for a country dance.
A young dandy bowed before them, his neck points so high as to prevent the young man from turning his head.
“Lord Alistair, may I be presented to this lovely young woman?”
“Lady Renton, Lord Montgomery. Lord Montgomery, my ward Lady Renton.”
“Your ward? Some men have all the luck.” A tight smile stretched his thin mouth. “Lady Renton, would you honor me with this dance?”
Reading the panic in her face, Alistair smoothly excused her. “Not this time, Montgomery. Winter is new in town and this is her first outing. I have promised to be her sole escort for the evening.”
The young dandy raised his quizzing glass to look at Winter. “Unusual that. Quite unusual.”
* * *
Winter managed to hold back her giggles at the studied actions of Montgomery. “Mayhap another evening,” she told him, hoping to mitigate his disappointment, “but I am thirsty.”
He bowed. “Then let me bring you something to quench your thirst.”
“I would like that.”
With Montgomery wending his way to the supper room, her guardian, with a frown for “Montgomery’s presumption,” led her back onto the floor. A new excitement swirled inside Winter. The admiration in the young lord’s eyes was a heady experience.
When she was once more seated, Montgomery puffed up to them, glass in hand. “My apologies. I was detained.”
Thanking him prettily, Winter took the glass he produced with a flourish. “Now, m’lady. If you will not do me the honor of standing up with me, others await.”
Alistair all but snapped, “Mayhap you would have preferred dancing with Lord Montgomery. I understand he is a good catch.”
Winter clutched the glass in her hand. “No. You promised.”
Her answer forced the anger from Alistair’s eyes. “I but jest.”
Winter relaxed. “Thank you, Lord Alistair.”
“Alistair, dear.” At the seductive tone addressed toward her guardian, Winter glanced up only to meet the eyes of the loveliest woman she had ever seen. Taking Alistair’s arm possessively, the woman pouted. “Time you dance with me, Justin. No one does this movement like you and I...together.”
Irritated, Alistair disentangled his arm. “Lady Bridget. Your manners are to let.”
He turned from her to his ward. “Lady Renton, Lady Bridget Trinadun. Lady Bridget, my ward Lady Renton.”
“Lady Renton,” the woman acknowledged. Winter shivered under the chill in her eyes.
“Lady Bridget.”
Bridget turned toward Alistair. “Come, Alistair.”
“I must stay with my ward, Bridget, as you well know.”
“Surely your precious ward can manage a few moments without you by her side.”
Alistair hesitated. “I suppose I could take you to Aunt Helen.”
Bridget tugged on his arm. “She is right over there, Alistair. Surely the child is safe enough where she is until you return to her side.”
Believing herself to be a hindrance, Winter also encouraged her guardian to leave her. She could not interpret the look he threw her as he allowed the gorgeous woman to lead him onto the floor.
Watching him, she could not help but admire his commanding presence. From the looks thrown his way, she realized she wasn’t the only one who admired her escort. Even among the haute ton, his elegance and bearing stood out.
Later as he made his way back to her, several gentlemen stopped him and turned him aside. Her heart sank. It would probably be some time before Alistair returned.
A quiet gasp on her right drew her attention as a young woman stumbled back from the angry face of her companion. The peer turned heel and strode away from the young lady, who desperately tried to compose herself.
In a decided daze, the young lady moved toward the settee. “He wouldn’t even return me to my cousin,” she murmured. Covering her face, the sweet-faced young woman tried to hide her tears.
Winter said, “I am sorry you and your young man had a falling out.”
Startled, the young woman stared at Winter. “He is not my young man. He...he’s a horrible person.”
“What did he do?”
Seeing the compassion on Winter’s face, the young woman sucked in a breath. “I thought...I thought being an orphan with no portion would not matter, but it does.” She gulped. “Oh, I can’t tell you what he wanted.” Something in Winter’s gaze drew out the truth of the matter. “I thought he wanted to marry me, but he only wanted... He laughed at me. Said I wasn’t worth more to him than... Mayhap I should have done what he asked. At least I would no longer be a burden to my cousins.”
Winter’s lips tightened with fury. “Don’t judge yourself by that man’s perverted values. It is that man who has a problem, not you.”
The girl’s eyes widened. “Truly?”
“Of course, and don’t you think otherwise.” Winter smiled and handed the girl a kerchief.
Wiping her face, the girl told her. “He said I would never find a man who would give me his hand. Said I wasn’t worth more. By the by, my name is Millissa Wilke.”
Derik’s arrogant features flashed in Winter’s mind, and her expression hardened. Lord, please let me help Miss Wilke in some way.
“I am Lady Winter Renton. Glad to make your acquaintance.”
Seeing her guardian wending his determined way toward her, an idea formed in her mind.
“Lord Alistair,” Winter said when he stood before them, “may I make you acquainted with Miss Wilke. Miss Wilke, my guardian, Lord Alistair.”
With a tremulous smile, the young lady put out a trembling hand. Her eyes widened as Alistair elegantly bowed over it. “Miss Wilke. At your service.”
Winter nodded. “That is what I wished to speak with
you about, m’lord.”
“Another turn about the floor,” he asked as though relishing the thought of holding her in his arms.
When he reached for her hand, Winter shook her head. “You mistake the case, m’lord.” She smiled a deliberately guileless smile. “I thought you might ask her.”
The other young woman blushed in confusion. “M’lady. I couldn’t.”
With a look at his ward that promised retribution later, Lord Alistair took the girl’s hand and drew her to her feet. “Miss Wilke, would you do me the honor? Then I shall restore you to your chaperone.”
With only a twinge of jealousy, Winter watched the couple meet and part in the current dance.
“Want to tell me what that was all about?” he asked after restoring the girl back to her guardian. Before he returned, the girl was back on the floor with Lord Montgomery, smiling happily.
“I hope you won’t be angry with me, Justin, but...” She related what had occurred. “I knew if you showed her consideration, others would flock to her side. Surely someone out there can see her for who she is and not just her lack of portion.”
Lord Alistair frowned. “I can scarcely credit a gentleman would act in such a fashion toward an innocent young woman.”
“It happened. I didn’t hear the exact words, but I did see the way he treated her. I had to do something.”
Gently, Alistair squeezed her hand. “You’re pretty special yourself, Winter.”
She carried the sincerity of his words and the warmth of his eyes with her the rest of the evening.
Chapter 6
“Justin,” admonished the duchess in the carriage on the return trip to Alistair House. “You smothered your ward this evening.” After a pause she added, “Your protection is admirable, but you scared off any contenders for Winter’s hand.”
Lord Alistair offered no apology. “Since she is my ward, I have every intention of seeing to it she is not hassled by undesirables.”
“Doing this guardianship up a bit brown, aren’t you?” The duchess cleared her throat with a certain satisfaction. “Her inheritance and natural charm will go a long way toward overcoming her...ah, problems. However, if you want to provide Winter an opportunity to make a suitable match, you must allow eligible parties access.”
A Proper Guardian Page 7