There she was, tripping lightly along the curved staircase, her hair bouncing, eyes shining, and the shimmering fabric of her dress floating about her. Rose stopped just at the bottom of the stairs, facing him in all her glory. Her cheeks were slightly pink, as if she were blushing or flushed from the swiftness of her arrival.
Never in his life had Simon seen anything so beautiful as his Rose in her minty green dress, her flaming red hair tumbling about her shoulders. Her skin was perfectly pale and creamy and Simon wanted nothing more than to rediscover every velvety inch of it.
He was quite sure he looked the complete fool standing there dumbstruck, undoubtedly with his jaw hanging open, but there was nothing else for him to do. It was as if God himself was shining a light upon the jewel before him and she simply sparkled. No man would be able to remain unaffected in the face of such radiance and certainly not a man already head over heels in love with the lady.
“Rose,” Simon whispered.
…
The way Simon was looking at her completely removed any last vestiges of doubt Rose may have been harboring. No man could look at her with such a mixture of adoration, awe, and pure sexual hunger and not be in love with her, not want to be with her.
Rose let go a long breath and smiled, a smile of pure unadulterated joy. And she let her eyes drink in the man standing there waiting for her. Simon was looking positively splendid himself, in his finest evening kit. Unlike some of his other evening wear—which was often in the popular bright candy colors—this kit was strictly black and white and was impeccably tailored. His dark blond curls shone like burnished gold in the bright hallway and his eyes positively glowed with life, love, and desire.
Rose felt herself being drawn to Simon as a moth to a flame and within moments the two were standing mere inches from each other. Looking up at him with the same joyous smile, Rose sighed. “Good evening.”
Simon replied in kind followed by a lingering kiss on the cheek. “You look stunning this evening, Rose,” he said softly.
“So do you,” Rose replied with a blush.
Grinning, Simon took Rose by the hand and held her away from him so that he could get a better look. He even insisted that she twirl for him, which she did with a giggle.
Rose noticed the way he was eyeing the top of her dress. Her hand flew to her chest and she said, “It’s too much, isn’t it? Or not enough, I suppose I should say.”
Simon reached up and removed her hand. “It is just perfect…you are just perfect.”
Feeling the way Simon’s eyes burned into her, Rose believed it. Just this once she believed that she may be beautiful…in Simon’s eyes at least, and that was all that really mattered.
“I’m so glad you got my note,” Rose breathed.
“What note?” Simon asked.
Rose looked at him, startled. “The note asking you to come by here before going to the ball. That is why you are here, is it not?”
“No,” Simon said with a slow shake of his head. “I am here because I told you I would be here. I had forgotten about the Alvanley fête until my valet reminded me of it earlier today. I had planned to ask you to accompany me once I arrived.”
“Oh,” Rose said in surprise. “I suppose great minds think alike, then. I had forgotten as well. When my mother reminded me, I sent you a note asking you to escort me. I wasn’t sure after our, er, eventful few nights, if you would have time to stop by here before going on to the ball.”
Simon pulled Rose into his arms and said, “I told you I would be by to see you today. And regardless of the party tonight, I would have kept my word.”
Rose laid her cheek against Simon’s chest briefly as she replied, “I should never have doubted you. I’m sorry.”
And, truthfully, she would never doubt him again. The last few weeks had proven him a changed man. He was responsible, caring, and attentive. So far removed from his rakish reputation that it made Rose’s head spin and her heart leap. Her future was certainly brighter than ever.
Chuckling, Simon pulled Rose away from him reluctantly. “There is no need to apologize. You were thinking logically. Your logic is one of the things I love most about you.”
Pleased by the compliment, Rose said, “Thank you, Simon. That means a lot to me.”
“You are very welcome, my love.”
“Speaking of logic,” Rose continued, “it occurred to me that the Alvanley ball would be the perfect place for Caleb to try and poison William.”
“I had the same thought,” Simon concurred.
With a nod of accord, Rose added, “Then you agree we need to keep a close eye on Caleb tonight at the ball?”
“Yes. In fact, I had hoped we could leave for the party soon. I believe the earlier we get there the better. We want to be sure we are in place before Caleb arrives.”
“Exactly so!” Rose exclaimed. “I was going to suggest the same.” Rose grinned. She and Simon made an excellent team. However, now was not the time to dwell on such things. They had a job to do that night and they had better get on with it immediately.
“Do you think your parents would mind if we went ahead in my carriage?” Simon asked. It was a bit unorthodox for an unmarried woman to be escorted by a gentleman alone, but an engaged couple could be given a bit more latitude, especially a couple that had been affianced as long as they had.
“I am sure that won’t be a problem,” Rose replied. “Let me just go find my mother and tell her that we are leaving now.” Rose hurried off. Now that the plan had been determined, she was eager to get underway. She truly hoped that she and Simon would be successful tonight. Failing was unthinkable. She couldn’t, in good consciousness, let anyone else die by Caleb’s hand. Not if she could stop it.
Chapter Eighteen
Two pairs of eyes are better than one…
—The Duke of Lancaster
Less than a half hour later, Simon and Rose arrived at the ball. They were, as they expected, unfashionably early and as a result the grand room was practically empty.
Aside from their hosts, Lord Alvanley and Henry Pierrepoint, and the large number of servants milling around checking on last minute details, there was no one else about. This afforded Rose the chance to view the room’s decoration unobstructed. And it was really quite magnificent.
Lord Alvanley and Mr. Henry Pierrepoint were two of Prinny’s set, meaning where you found one, you invariably found the other. Rose knew from the ton gossip that Beau Brummell—the current male fashion standard of London society—and the prince had had a falling out that met its ultimate demise at a masquerade ball held at the Argyll Rooms last year by Alvanley, Pierrepoint, Brummell, and a fourth friend, Mildmay.
Rose had heard that Mr. Brummell had referred to the prince as Alvanley’s “fat friend” in front of God and everyone, putting the final nail in the coffin of that friendship. And while she didn’t know the whole story, she had to admit Mr. Brummell’s words certainly couldn’t have been taken any other way than as an insult, though whether deserved or not, she couldn’t say.
Still, considering the close relationship of the hosts to the royal family, Rose—and frankly all of London—anticipated a lavish affair this evening. And from what she was seeing, Rose was certain they would not be dissatisfied.
The ballroom of the Grosvenor Square house currently being leased by Lord Alvanley was very large and decorated in the grandiose scheme of silver and gold. The servants were dressed in either silver or gold, iridescent silver swags decorated the walls, and golden candelabras and statuettes holding their own flickering lights were set on tables, pedestals, and mantels alike. It really was a setting fit for royalty and, whether or not royalty actually appeared, the party guests were sure to not be disappointed by the affair.
“Isn’t this amazing, Simon?” Rose whispered. With so few people about, it seemed somewhat crass to be overheard “oohing” and “aahing” over the decorations, no matter how superb they may be. Having never been quite so early to a function, Rose was
somewhat at a loss as to how to behave. “I knew we would arrive early,” she continued quietly, “but I had no idea we would be the first to make an appearance.”
Simon shrugged. “Most members of the ton know that Prinny will not show up until quite late, if at all. They will want to be here then. Therefore, we may find ourselves quite alone for some time. Sadly, not as alone as I would like for us to be.”
Simon gave Rose a truly devilish smile and she felt her bones turn to mush in an instant. Grabbing his arm tighter in an effort to remain on her feet, Rose forced herself to look again at the sparkling room. Seeing Simon in all his finery and charm was proving rather dangerous.
“Perhaps you would feel more comfortable with a glass of lemonade in your hand?” Simon suggested.
Rose nodded eagerly. “Oh, yes, that is a wonderful idea.” The two wandered over to the beverage cart and Simon poured Rose a lemonade and took a glass of champagne for himself.
Rose felt infinitely better with a glass in her hand. It was something to do, she supposed, lifting and sipping and so forth. She never did very well at idle things, and as talking in the empty room seemed so very loud, conversation with Simon was stilted at best. Fortunately, though, it wasn’t too much longer—a glass and a half of lemonade to be precise—before other guests began to trickle in.
Simon and Rose had had the time to determine the best location from which to watch the three entrances to the ballroom without seeming overly interested; however, as more and more people arrived, it became exceedingly difficult to monitor the arrival of every person from every entrance. Soon it became apparent that they needed to enlist some help if they wanted to spot Caleb the instant he arrived.
Therefore, when Sarah, Emily, and Hope stopped by to say hello, Rose wasted no time in filling them in on the plan for the evening and why it was so vitally important that they succeed.
“This is horrible, Rose!” Emily said, clearly dismayed by Rose and Simon’s suspicions. “What if we don’t stop him in time?”
“Then William dies,” Sarah said. And when everyone turned to look at her in horror, she crossed her arms and added staunchly, “So we will stop him in time.”
Everyone’s shocked expressions turned into wry smiles at Sarah’s typically abrupt attitude and Rose realized her friend was right. There was no “if” tonight…they simply must succeed.
…
“Right,” Hope said briskly. “We will all help you look for him. We should stay in groups of two. That way, if we see him, one person can keep him in her sights, while the other person locates Rose and Simon.”
Simon looked at Miss Stuckeley with a new respect. He hadn’t really taken the time to get to know any of Rose’s friends before and he was quickly beginning to realize that despite their quirks, they were a rather impressive bunch of females.
Emily said, “Very well, Sarah and I will stay together. Obviously, Rose and Simon will keep their vigil together. Hope, perhaps you should look for Lady Lancaster? I am sure she would like to be apprised of the situation and you two could conduct your search together.”
“Perfect! Let us all depart at once,” Hope replied. Everyone nodded tersely and dispersed. Already Simon felt better about the feasibility of their task. Certainly with all of them keeping an eye open for Caleb the odds of him slipping past them would be greatly reduced.
“Do you think we should alert William and Hannah of our suspicions?” Simon wondered aloud.
“Definitely,” Rose said firmly. “I don’t want to upset them unnecessarily, but if all else fails, better that William is aware of the danger rather than succumbing to it!”
Simon had to agree she had a point. Though, if he were on the verge of getting married—and as far as he was concerned, he was—hearing about a possible death threat would put a damper on his spirits, it was more important that William knew he was about to be poisoned. Then he wouldn’t tempt fate by eating or drinking something he shouldn’t.
Simon began to scan the room for any signs of Caleb or William, but instead he caught sight of his mother. She and his father had been traveling a lot recently and even when they were in town, he didn’t see them often, so he was a bit surprised that they were in attendance. The two were standing with Lord and Lady Holderness and both his mother and Lady Holderness looked to be positively bursting with excitement at seeing him with Rose.
From across the room, Simon could see his mother gesturing to him. He gathered from all of her nonverbal cues that she wanted him to dance with Rose. Not especially opposed to the idea, Simon still had to sigh over the fact that his parents—specifically his mother, in this case—were still making his relationship decisions for him.
Then he looked at Rose, who was intently scrutinizing every man and mannish-looking woman coming and going from the ballroom, and he had to smile. Mother’s idea or not, dancing with Rose seemed like a very good idea. The music had just started with a slow melodic waltz, which would allow them to watch the entire room even as they danced, for they would have every reason to be going in circles, Simon rationalized.
“Rose,” Simon said, “would you care to dance?”
Rose looked at Simon as if he had grown another head. “Now?” she said in astonishment. “We are supposed to be looking for Caleb!”
“Yes, love, I realize that, however our mothers”—he paused to look pointedly in their parents’ direction—“would like to watch us dance. We should be able to see as well, if not better, from the dance floor anyway.”
…
Rose turned in the direction indicated by Simon and, indeed, their mothers were watching them with wide grins on their faces. Lady Holderness waved brightly in greeting, to which Rose waved weakly back. Resigned to the inevitable and recognizing that Simon was probably correct about their view from the dance floor, Rose looked up at Simon with a wry grin that served as her acceptance of his invitation.
With a sweep of his arm, Simon ushered her to a location somewhere near the middle of the gathering couples. Training her eyes on the perimeter of the room as the dancing started, Rose continued her observation from within the close hold of the waltz.
As they whirled and twirled around the room, Rose continually made eye contact with Sarah and Emily as they watched for Caleb. At one point, Rose also saw Lady Lancaster catch her eye. The dowager duchess was alone, however, and Rose wondered what happened to Hope.
Then she caught a blur of pale blue—the exact color Hope was wearing earlier—pass by her to the right and Rose realized that Hope was dancing, as well…with Lord Lichfield!
Rose remembered back to the night of the party recreation and how both Hope and Lord Lichfield had been absent. She wondered again if something was going on with the pair. She rather hoped there was. They made an adorable couple and she knew that Hope had been harboring feelings for the lord for some time now. How nice would it be to see another one of her friends nicely settled? Still, Rose had never seen Lord Lichfield utter two words to Hope. Perhaps the dance was just a polite gesture? One that Hope would strive to turn into something more, surely.
She smiled at the thought as the dance came to an end; then suddenly, she felt Simon’s grip tighten on her waist. “What is it?” she asked anxiously.
“Your friend, Miss Jardin…I think she sees something.”
Rose looked over to where she’d last seen Sarah and Emily and when she finally located them, Sarah was acting strangely, to be sure. As Emily was wending her way through the crowd to meet them at the edge of the dance floor, Rose could see Sarah popping up over the heads of the guests. Now granted, Sarah was taller than the average female and frankly most males, but even she could not be seen above a crowd of people unless she were, er, trying to be seen.
Rose groaned and shook her head.
“What, may I ask, is that girl doing?” Simon asked.
At this point they were near enough to Emily for her to have heard the question and she turned to look back at her friend. When she saw Sarah’s head
reappear and disappear in random intervals, she answered wearily, “I gather she is jumping up and down every few feet so that we may follow her successfully as she, in turn, follows Lord Shrewsbury.”
“Rather than try to understand our friend’s odd antics, perhaps we should just go after her. The sooner we find her, the sooner she will stop,” Rose recommended.
Unable to argue with that logic, the three of them quickly followed in Sarah’s wake. When they found Sarah, she was crouched awkwardly behind a large golden Aphrodite statue.
“Oh good, you found me,” Sarah said in hushed tones.
“It would have been impossible not to,” Simon muttered.
“What was that?” Sarah asked.
“Nothing, nothing,” Rose rushed to say, glaring at Simon. “Just show us where Lord Shrewsbury is.”
Sarah straightened immediately from her cramped position and, looking around slyly, she pretended to yawn…flinging one arm out in the direction of the back right corner of the room. She followed the direction of her arm with almost seizure-like jerking movements of her head going in the same direction.
“Stop that,” Emily ordered in a brusque whisper, reaching out to lower her friend’s flailing arm and stop her head motion. “We see him!”
…
Caleb Collicott, the current Earl of Shrewsbury, was standing idly by a group of people in the corner of the ballroom. He was not engaged in the conversation, nor did he even appear to be listening. He was rocking back and forth on his heels and playing absentmindedly with a large ornate ring on his right hand.
“Has anyone seen William or Hannah yet?” Simon asked softly.
The three women shook their heads.
“Then I guess all we can do now is keep an eye on Caleb and wait,” he proposed.
“Why don’t we just take the ring from him?” Sarah said grimly, rubbing her hands together devilishly. “Then the little toad can do no harm at all.”
Simon raised his eyebrows. “While I like the way you think, Miss Jardin, I think justice will be better served if we catch him in the act.”
Romancing His English Rose (Entangled Scandalous) Page 15