Edenbrooke

by Julianne Donaldson

  “I came to see how you’re feeling today,” Cecily said, sitting on my bed. “I’m sorry you were unwell last night! I would have come to see you myself, but I thought you would do better with some peace and quiet. And I know you don’t like to be the center of attention, so I want to set your mind at ease: we did not talk about you at all last night. We played whist, and Sir Philip was my partner, and he was so droll! I vow, I was laughing all night.”

  I could easily believe that, considering how much she had laughed during dinner.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” I said, trying to make myself believe the words.

  “I knew you would be happy for me. You always were an unselfish sister that way.” She lay back on my bed with a yawn. “That is why I didn’t bother inviting you to ride with us this morning. Of course, it did little good, since Sir Philip invited his brother to come with us. Still, any time with him is better than none.”

  “Oh? You have already gone riding?” I tried to smile. “How did you like Meg?”

  She frowned. “She was a bit spirited for my taste, but I was able to keep her in check. I think you must have given her too much freedom, though. When she belongs to me, I will make sure she is properly trained.”

  I clenched the quill I was holding so hard it snapped in two. I dropped the pieces on the desk and stood to look out the window. I would accept Philip’s offer to trade my painting for Meg before I would let Cecily ruin that horse. She could find another horse—one that suited her better.

  “I have wondered something,” Cecily said in a casual voice. “Why did you not write to me that Sir Philip was here, this whole time? If I had known, I would have come immediately.”

  I turned from the window and looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean, you didn’t know?”

  “I was told he was going on a trip.” She examined her fingernails. “It was rather sudden, from what I understood. That’s why I stayed in London, because there was nothing here to take me away from the amusement there. But if I had known he had cancelled his trip, I would have come to Edenbrooke immediately.”

  I had no answers to give her. I realized how foolish I had been to never question Philip’s presence at the inn. Of course he must have been on his way to somewhere. It was one more mystery to add to his collection of secrets.

  “I don’t know anything about his trip,” I said. “In fact, I must admit, Cecily, that I didn’t even know it was Sir Philip whom you referred to in your letters.”

  She gave me a quizzical look. “How could you not know?”

  I sat on the bed across from her, feeling nervous, and chose my words carefully. “It was the strangest thing, but I never heard him addressed by his title, and nobody told me that Sir Charles had died. I suppose everybody thought I knew. So I didn’t know that Sir Philip’s presence here would be significant at all to you.”

  “Hmm.”

  I did not like the speculative look she was giving me.

  “What?” I asked, feeling defensive.

  “I hope you will not have anything to regret,” she said.

  I sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

  “You. And Sir Philip.”

  I willed myself not to blush. “Nothing happened between Sir Philip and myself.”

  She laughed. “No, I did not suppose anything had happened. But you would not be the first lady to fall for his charms.” She looked at me expectantly.

  “He is, of course, very charming, but I knew all along he was a flirt, and so I was never in danger of taking him seriously. He has been a friend to me, and that is all.” I leaned forward and rested my hand on hers. “But, Cecily, even if I had been in danger, you should know that I am loyal to you, first and always.”

  She smiled and squeezed my hand. “Of course, I know that. But I would hate to see you brokenhearted when Sir Philip offers for me.”

  I looked down at the blanket and picked at a loose thread. “You seem very . . . optimistic. Has he . . . said something?”

  “No, not yet, but I am certain it will not be long before he does. I know the signs of a man in love, and I have no doubt that Sir Philip is well on his way to falling in love with me, if he has not already.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek as I struggled to keep my feelings in check. “Well, then,” I finally said, looking up with a weak smile, “I am sure it will be no time at all before you have won his heart and hand and everything else you want.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes.” It was the truth. Cecily had always gotten everything she wanted.

  “Lady Cecily sounds so elegant, don’t you think?” She looked around the room with a sigh of pleasure. “And I have really chosen well, have I not? I doubt I have ever met a better combination of good looks and great wealth. Not to mention the estate. Of course, I will want to spend most of the year in London. I can’t imagine staying in the country after knowing the entertainment to be had in Town.” She glanced at me quickly. “And I am violently in love with him, you know.”

  What could I possibly answer in return? I nodded and looked away from her happy face. My heart felt cold and heavy, and I wanted to sink onto my bed and stay there for at least a week.

  “You seem very dull,” Cecily said, sitting up suddenly. “I think you need to get out of the house. Sir Philip said he has some business to attend to with his steward and he will likely be busy all morning, so Louisa and I are going to walk to Lamdon. You may come along. I am sure she won’t mind your company, and you will love her, I know.”

  I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to spend the morning with Louisa, who had not been friendly at all to me last night. “If you’re sure . . .”

  “Yes, of course.” She stood up and looked down at me. “You will do something about your hair, though, yes?”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, I am going to walk to town looking like I just rolled out of bed.”

  She laughed and ruffled my hair as if we were still children.

  I could not help but smile in return. When she left, I sat at the writing desk to finish my letter with a new quill. The letter was to the point.

  Dear Grandmother,

  Here is what I have learned from Cecily so far: an elegant young lady should touch a man’s arm and laugh at everything he says. I suppose this is called flirting. I find it loud and annoying.

  Sincerely,

  Marianne

  “Oh, look how charming your bonnet is,” Cecily said as I joined her and Louisa after breakfast. I carried my letter to Grandmother in my reticule, and I had allowed Betsy to fuss over my hair a little more than usual. I hoped to impress Louisa—or, at least, to not embarrass Cecily. “Isn’t it nice, Louisa?”

  Louisa said nothing, but she didn’t look like she was about to go into raptures over my bonnet. Cecily linked one arm through Louisa’s, and the other through mine, and we set off in this manner for Lamdon, which was but a few miles away.

  I looked past Cecily to ask Louisa, “Was this your first season as well?”

  She nodded.

  “How did you like it?”

  “It was very diverting,” Louisa said. She looked at Cecily. “Do you remember the ball at Almack’s when Mr. Dalton—”

  They burst out laughing. “And then Miss Hyde told him to—”

  More laughing. I looked on and wished I knew what was so funny. “What happened?”

  Cecily waved a hand. “Oh, I don’t think you would find it humorous. You would have to know the people involved.”

  I nodded.

  We walked on a few more steps, and then another laugh escaped from Cecily. “What was it that Lady Claremont said that night? Something about freckles—”

  Louisa giggled. “Ruining a lady’s chances more than a tarnished reputation. And I quite agree. There is nothing so unattractive as a freckled face.”

  I bit my lip as I thought of my own freckles, which had grown in number since I had been spending so much time out of doors. Hopefully Louisa would n
ot notice them.

  “I don’t know about that,” Cecily said. “I saw plenty of things more unattractive. Remember Mr. Baynes?”

  Louisa shuddered. “How could I forget?”

  They talked the entire way about the people they had met in London. It appeared my attempt to befriend Louisa had done no good at all. When we reached Lamdon, we stopped first at the post office, where I mailed my letter to Grandmother.

  “You know you can just ask Philip to frank that for you next time,” Louisa said.

  I knew that. But I liked having my own money to spend, and something to spend it on. I liked not being dependent on someone for everything. It satisfied the demands of my pride a little.

  Cecily announced that she had to buy some new ribbon for a bonnet she was trimming, so we found the ribbon shop and started browsing. She picked three ribbons, all different shades of blue, and turned to me.

  “Which do you think?” She held them up to her face, opening her eyes wide. “Which most closely matches my eyes?”

  I looked at the three colors and secretly thought that it didn’t make a difference which shade of blue she chose. But knowing that wasn’t the answer she was looking for, I said, “That one. The darkest one.”

  She looked at it, her brow wrinkled. “Really? Because I did not think my eyes were quite this dark. But this other color has a touch of green in it, which I don’t have in my eyes at all. Louisa, what do you think?”

  “Definitely not that one,” she said, pointing to the one I had chosen.

  Cecily put it down immediately. I tried not to care. It was just a ribbon, for heaven’s sake. But there was a time when my opinion would have been the only one that mattered to Cecily. I turned my attention from them and stood in the doorway, looking out into the street.

  I was in this attitude of bored surveillance when I spied a familiar-looking figure across the street. He lifted his hat to me in recognition and I reeled back in surprise. I imagined I could see the smirk on the Nefarious Nephew’s face, even at this distance. I thought of backing up and shutting the door, but it was too late. He had seen me and was crossing the street, languidly swinging his walking cane as he did.

  “Good morning, cousin,” Mr. Kellet said, bowing a little and looking very pleased with himself.

  I frowned at him. “What are you doing here?”

  He waved at the general surroundings. “Visiting this charming town. What are you doing here?”

  I gestured just as nonchalantly at the ribbon shop. “Shopping for ribbon.”

  “Alone?” he asked with a glint in his eye that worried me. It worried me that he was here at all, actually. I could not believe he had chosen, by coincidence, to come to Lamdon on a whim. Was it paranoid of me to suspect that I was the reason he was here? Had he followed me from Bath?

  “No, I am not alone,” I said, nodding toward the inside of the shop.

  Mr. Kellet stepped toward me, and I was forced to either retreat into the shop or come in closer contact with him than I wanted to. I stepped inside and he followed me, his eyes darting around the room. They rested on Cecily, who stood at the counter with her ribbons, her back to us. She turned just then with her purchase and walked toward us, Louisa trailing behind her. When her gaze landed on Mr. Kellet, Cecily’s eyes widened, and a self-satisfied smile turned up her lips before she pressed it down.

  Mr. Kellet bowed. “Miss Daventry. Miss Wyndham.”

  Why could he not call me Miss Daventry? Cecily was just as much his cousin as I was.

  “Mr. Kellet,” Cecily said, sounding a little breathless. “What a welcome surprise.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “What brings you to this area?”

  He took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. “I have been following my heart, and it has led me here, to you.”

  I frowned at them. Cecily’s gaze rested on Mr. Kellet’s face as he kissed her hand. I recognized the look on her face—excitement and admiration, with just enough suggestiveness thrown in to bring a man to his knees. It was the very same look she had used on Philip the night before, when she had captured his attention all throughout dinner.

  I could not believe her. She had always acted foolish around Mr. Kellet, but this was beyond the pale. She should know better than to encourage a man of his reputation. I had not had a season in London, yet even I could judge by his haphazard mode of dress and the appraising look in his eyes as he swept his gaze over her figure that he was not a proper gentleman. Besides that, we had heard of his escapades for years. Why would Cecily want to flirt with him?

  “Excuse me, Mr. Kellet, we were just leaving,” I said, moving closer to Cecily.

  He turned his languid gaze on me and smirked. “Are you? Well, I hope I may call on you soon, cousin.”

  “No, you may not. And stop calling me cousin.” I knew I sounded rude, and I was glad of it. He only laughed.

  Cecily frowned at me, then turned with a bright smile to him. “Mr. Kellet, you must excuse my sister’s behavior. I hope you will come see us all, very soon.”

  My face was hot with embarrassment as I followed her and Louisa out of the ribbon shop.

  As soon as we were out of earshot, she said, “Marianne, I can’t believe how rude you were toward Mr. Kellet.”

  My mouth fell open in shock. She was censuring me? “I can’t believe how encouraging you were.” I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “You know what he is. He is a self-serving rake and the worst kind of scoundrel there is.”

  She looked at Louisa and they both burst into laughter. They were clearly not taking me seriously.

  Louisa smiled condescendingly. “You are very naïve, aren’t you?”

  I felt as if I had been slapped.

  “No, hush, Louisa,” Cecily said. “Don’t be cruel. She has simply been sheltered. We must help her grow up.” She turned to me. “Listen, dear, of course we’re aware of Mr. Kellet’s reputation. But there are some very good reasons to have a man like him around.” She leaned close and said quietly, “The rakes are the best kissers.”

  I stared. “How would you know?”

  She looked at Louisa and they giggled. I would never have suspected Cecily of such behavior! But I saw the knowing smiles they cast at each other, and I was forced to accept the idea that maybe—just maybe—Cecily did know something about rakes and kissing. But I couldn’t believe, after our conversation this morning, that she would really behave this way.

  “Cecily, do you really intend to flirt with Mr. Kellet when you have a different goal in mind?” I asked. “With a different gentleman?”

  She was clearly surprised. Louisa coughed in a way that sounded like she was trying to cover up a laugh.

  “Everyone knows it’s perfectly acceptable for a lady to flirt,” Cecily said, “as long as she is discreet. And her husband will appreciate having the same freedom.” She leaned closer, putting her arm around my shoulder, and said quietly, “Please don’t say anything like this when you have your season. I understand, as your sister, but others will not be so kind to you, and I’m afraid you will be very embarrassed.”

  She moved away from me and gave Louisa a look of long-suffering that made my face burn with shame. I said nothing more as we walked along, but my thoughts raced. How could Cecily think about kissing a rake when she was supposed to be violently in love with Philip? And how would Philip feel if he knew this about Cecily? Others might behave immorally, but Philip never would. I knew him, and I knew how deeply he wanted to be like his father—a gentleman in every sense of the word. Never mind what behavior passed as “elegant” in London. Philip was different. I was certain of that.

  Chapter 18

  At dinner that afternoon Lady Caroline mentioned the ball that would be held at the Assembly Room that evening. “Speaking of which,” she said, “we still have a lot to do to prepare for our own ball. It is only a week away, you know.”

  “Thank heavens I won’t have to be a part of the planning,” William said. “I can’t stand hear
ing talk of colors and flowers.” He looked at Philip. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  I glanced at Philip. I hadn’t spoken to him since the night before, and I found myself missing him much more than I had anticipated. Just now, letting my gaze rest on his familiar face, I felt a unique sense of relief.

  “No, of course not,” Philip said.

  “Good. I’ve been looking forward to this trip these past six months.”

  Trip? What trip? I looked in confusion from one to the other, but before I could ask anything, Lady Caroline said, “We won’t need your help with the planning, but I do expect you both to be back in time for the ball.”

  William threw Rachel a pleading look, but she only smiled and said, “Don’t look at me like that. You know I want you at the ball.”

  He groaned, and I had to smile a little at his pained expression.

  “We can’t help with the ball plans today,” Louisa said. “I’m going to introduce Cecily to the Fairhursts. You won’t mind if we take the gig, will you?” She looked at her mother, who turned worried eyes to me. The gig would not hold three passengers, which meant I was excluded from their plans.

  “You can take the carriage,” Lady Caroline said, “so that both of our guests will be able to join you.”

  She seemed to put extra weight on the word “guests.” Surely everyone at the table knew what Lady Caroline was doing—she was trying to force Louisa into taking me along. But I refused to be the object of charity, and I would not go along if I wasn’t wanted.

  “Thank you for considering me,” I said, “but I would love to stay and help you plan the ball instead. I have already met the Fairhursts.”

  I felt Philip’s gaze and knew my face was red with embarrassment, but I didn’t glance his way. I pulled my pride tight around me like a cloak in winter and kept my pretense in place. Louisa might not want my company, but that didn’t mean it had to hurt. Cecily caught up with me in the hall as I left the dining room.