The bird turned its head slightly, though its attention seemed drawn to Camden.
“It’s all right. You don’t need to be shy,” she told it. “Who’s a pretty bird?”
“I’m a pretty bird,” it replied. “Pretty, pretty bird.”
She smiled and kissed its head. “Yes, you are. And a smart one, too.”
“I’m a smart bird,” it said.
She giggled. “He could live to be forty.”
“Forty?” Camden didn’t know anything about birds and found this surprising when he knew cats and dogs didn’t live that long. Figuring he should say something, he blurted out, “I thought they lived as long as cats and dogs.” There. That should add to the discussion. There was nothing worse than awkward silence.
“I thought so, too, until we got one. Why, I was only two when we got him. He’s a delightful bird. I’ve been feeding him by hand ever since I was five.”
Her dog, Meredith, came over to her and barked.
“I’m a bird,” the parakeet said. “She’s a dog.”
“That’s impressive,” Camden replied. Apparently, this type of bird was intelligent. But for all he knew, all birds were intelligent.
“He knows a lot,” Miss Richie said then bent down so that the bird was nose to nose with Meredith. “Want to say hello?”
“Hello,” the bird told the dog.
The dog barked, and the bird mimicked it with a bark of its own.
“The two didn’t get along right away,” Miss Richie said. “Alexander was quite jealous and thought Meredith was going to steal me away from him. But that didn’t happen. I love both of them.”
“I love you,” the bird said.
“Yes, and I love you, too.”
It squawked in reply.
Miss Richie rose to her feet and held the bird out to him. “Want to hold him?”
Camden glanced at the bird, noting its large red beak. “Um, I’d rather not. I’m not familiar with birds.”
“Alexander’s a gentle bird. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. Come on. Give it a try.”
He took a deep breath. Helena would probably tell him to do it. This was what he had to do in order to get a wife. He had to try new things, to experience things he wouldn’t get to experience otherwise. And what better time than now? Steeling his resolve, he nodded. “All right. How should I hold him?”
“It’s easy. Just hold out your finger.”
Easy? That’s what she thought. With more courage than he felt, he pointed his finger toward the bird and flinched when it said, “Are you sure?”
She laughed and stroked its back. “His Grace is sure, Alexander. Be good.”
“I’ll be good,” he replied and hopped onto Camden’s finger.
Camden tried not to recoil at the small claws which grasped his finger as it sought to balance itself.
“Are you pretty?” the bird asked him.
At this, Miss Richie laughed even harder. “You don’t need to answer him. He’s just making conversation.”
“I like to talk,” it said.
Since both she and the bird looked expectantly at him, Camden figured it was his turn to say something. “I can see that,” he finally replied when he couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“You’re pretty,” the bird told him.
“He paid you a compliment,” she told Camden.
Unsure of what she wanted from him, Camden settled for smiling, aware that he was uneasy. He had a hard time relaxing when there was a bird with a large beak and sharp claws staring right at him.
“Would you believe people often confuse this type of bird with an Indian Ringneck?” Miss Richie asked.
Since he didn’t even know what an Indian Ringneck was, he didn’t feel comfortable answering either way.
But as it turned out, he didn’t need to answer because she continued, “It’s because they look so much alike. The way you can tell this apart from the Indian Ringneck is because this one has maroon patched wings and a larger bill.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, but I think Alexander is a beautiful animal. He’s social, as you can tell. Would you like to feed him?”
He caught himself before he winced. He was doing good just to hold the thing. There was no way he wanted to feed it.
Fortunately, he was spared having to say no when someone entered the room. “Your Grace,” the gentleman said as he approached them, “good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon,” Camden replied, aware that the bird was squawking and fluttering its wings. Good heavens. The thing wouldn’t fly around the room, would it?
“This is my brother,” Miss Richie told Camden.
“A pleasure,” her brother said. “My sister tells me we’re going to see some animals today.”
More animals? “Are they in this house?” Camden asked.
Her brother laughed. “No. We’ll be visiting the menagerie this afternoon. Have you ever been to one?”
“No,” Camden replied, wondering if her brother was laughing at him or laughing in a friendly manner. “I haven’t been there.” Up to now, he hadn’t even heard of one.
“You’re in for a treat!” Miss Richie took the bird from him—something he much appreciated—and put it back in the cage. “It has so many exotic creatures.”
“And she can tell you about each one,” her brother added.
She giggled and waved her hand at her brother. “You know just as much as I do. We both enjoy going there.”
They both looked at Camden, so he offered what he hoped was a pleasant smile. “Then I will probably enjoy it, too.”
“The carriage is waiting,” her brother said.
Sensing their excitement, Camden followed, wondering if he could spend the rest of his life surrounded by all these animals and learning so much about them.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Helena decided to stop by Regina’s townhouse. As she sat in the drawing room waiting for her, she wondered how Camden fared yesterday at Miss Richie’s. She kept expecting him to show up afterwards, but he hadn’t. And that was probably good. Things must have gone well if he hadn’t felt the need to talk to her. Though she wished he had. And honestly, she wasn’t sure if it was because she was curious about his afternoon or if it was because she missed him.
Thankfully, Lady Davenport came to the drawing room before her thoughts strayed too far. Helena stood up and smiled at the lady who was due to give birth at any time. “Thank you for seeing me,” she told Regina.
“My mother would murder me if I didn’t,” Regina replied, a twinkle in her eye.
Helena’s eyes grew wide. “I can’t believe it. You told a joke.”
“Blame it on the child.” Regina rubbed her large belly. “He or she has put me in a good mood.”
“You’re usually in a good mood anyway. You were an easy lady to work with when you were looking for a husband.”
“You’re much too kind.” Regina sat down, and Helena followed suit. “I was obstinate every step of the way.”
With a shrug, Helena waited until the butler set the tray in front of them before talking. “Not every lady enjoys the marriage mart. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the whole thing. I was fortunate. My marriage was arranged for me, and now that I’m a widow, I don’t have to worry about it at all.”
Regina poured them both a cup of tea and held her cup out to her. “Did you come here to discuss the virtues of widowhood? Because if so, my husband wouldn’t be pleased.”
Helena chuckled and took her cup. “No, I didn’t come here for that. Though I did have an ulterior motive for stopping by.”
“I thought so.”
Noting Regina’s humor, Helena grinned. “I hear you and your husband will be hosting a ball tomorrow evening.”
“Yes. Toby thought it would be a good way to distract me as I wait for the little one to be born.”
“I agree. It will. There’s no sense in sitting around all evening if you don’t have to.”
“No, there’s not.”
Helena took a sip of her tea and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind, but I was wondering if you’d heard anything good or bad concerning the ladies currently in their first Season.”
“Are you looking for more ladies to offer lessons to?”
“No. I’m trying to decide which ladies might be a good fit for the duke I’m helping to find a wife. The problem is, I know far more about the gentlemen than I do the ladies.” Helena took another sip then set the cup in her lap. “I’m not sure which of the available ladies will be happy looking for a gentleman who prefers to spend the rest of his life in the country. He’s a nice person. A little shy but very sweet. But since he doesn’t like big gatherings or London, she’d have to be content to lead a quiet and simple life. Do you know any ladies who’d like that?”
“Most ladies seem to enjoy spending their summers in London.”
“Yes, I noticed that.”
“However, there must be a couple who wouldn’t mind the peace of the countryside.” Regina tapped the edge of her cup for a moment then turned her gaze to Helena. “I think Miss Beacham might be one. Mother says her family isn’t often seen in London. They must prefer the country.”
Lord Davenport came into the room and paused when he saw them. “Oh, I didn’t realize we had company.” He bowed. “Lady Seyton.”
“No need for formalities,” Helena quickly assured him. “Thank you, Regina. I’ll be at the ball tomorrow evening.” She finished her tea and rose to her feet. “I’ll leave the two of you to yourselves.” Wishing Lord Davenport a good afternoon, she left the townhouse.
Since it was a pleasant day, she told her coachman she’d be walking home instead of taking the carriage. Then she went to the park. It was the only place she could think of that Camden might be, except for White’s and, being a lady, she couldn’t go there.
This was silly. She should wait for him to come to her. He had no trouble doing so in the past. But for some reason, she couldn’t just go back to her townhouse.
Ridiculous. Since when did she go around looking for a gentleman? I’m bored. I have too much time to waste. Yes, that was it. She had too much time on her hands. It had nothing to do with feelings. Not romantic ones anyway. She was merely curious. He was her client, after all. She was naturally concerned about how things went between him and Miss Richie.
She walked through the park, keeping her pace slow, her gaze going to each bench she passed. And when she found him, her heart skipped a beat. Ignoring the reason why, she went over to him.
When he glanced up at her, she said, “We must keep the conversation short, but I wanted to know how yesterday went.”
His smile faltered and he shrugged. “All right, I suppose.”
“That bad?” she asked, wondering if it was possible she was relieved by this. No. Of course not. She wasn’t relieved. She was disappointed. He needed a wife, and it was her job to help him get one. It would have been ideal if Miss Richie had worked out. Clearing her throat, she said, “Don’t despair, Your Grace. We can discuss it later. In the meantime, there is a ball tomorrow evening at Lord Davenport’s. I want you to go to it.”
He nodded, and deciding she’d talked to him long enough, she wished him a good afternoon and continued her stroll.
***
Someone knocked at Helena’s bedchamber door the next afternoon just as she finished her bath. From behind the dressing screen, she rose from the tub and grabbed her towel. “Come in,” she called out as she wrapped the towel around herself.
“It’s me, my lady,” her lady’s maid said.
Helena stepped around the screen, surprised to see Cass before she rang for her. “Is something wrong?”
“No, my lady. His Grace, the Duke of Ashbourne, is here, and I tried to explain to him you were indisposed, but he insists on waiting for you.”
“Have the butler give him something to eat and drink, and tell him I’ll be down shortly.”
Despite her raised eyebrows, the older lady nodded then hurried out of the room.
Helena quickly dried off and selected what she’d wear. It was too early to dress for the ball. But since she was going to dress up later and since Camden was already waiting for her, she picked a dress that would be easy to slip into. Without waiting for Cass, she got dressed.
She’d be lying if she didn’t admit her eagerness to find out what had happened with Miss Richie. She’d done very well to avoid going to his townhouse to get the details. While it was something she had done on occasion with other clients, somehow it didn’t seem appropriate to do it with him.
She assured herself it was natural she wouldn’t want to visit him at his townhouse. People would misunderstand the nature of the situation. If he came to her, instead, then people would know it was because she was helping him find a wife since that was her profession.
She took a deep breath and studied her reflection in the mirror over her vanity. Right now wasn’t the time to put her hair into an elaborate style. And besides, it was still damp from her bath. She’d pull it back into a simple style then let it fully dry after he left.
Cass returned just as she was pinning her hair in place. “Oh my lady,” she began and rushed over to her, “you don’t have to rush. His Grace said there’s no hurry.”
“I’m not rushing.” Though she argued, Helena realized she was shoving the remaining pins in her hair faster than she needed to. “I just need sufficient time to get ready for this evening’s ball, and I can only do that if he leaves sooner rather than later.” Yes, that was a good excuse.
“As you wish, my lady.”
Once Cass helped her finish getting ready, Helena went to the drawing room, careful not to rush. She reached the room just in time to see Camden accidently drop the crumpet he was eating. He tried to grab it, but it tumbled down his waistcoat and landed on the floor. He hurried to retrieve it then wrapped it in the cloth napkin and let out a frustrated sigh.
She thought he was rather adorable when he was flustered. Hiding her smile, she called out a greeting, shut the doors, and walked over to him.
“I’m sorry I came over when I wasn’t supposed to,” he said, rising to his feet.
“There’s no need to bow. And you don’t need to apologize.” She sat on the settee and gestured for him to sit back down in his chair. “You’re my client. I’m used to my clients stopping by if they need to talk to me.”
With a nod, he returned to his seat. As she reached for a cup of tea, he blurted out, “Don’t pick up that napkin.”
Eyebrow raised, she glanced at him. “I wasn’t going to. I was only going to drink some tea.”
“No. I know. I mean, I know you were going to drink tea, but in case you wanted to wipe your mouth, don’t use that napkin. I, um, well, you see, I dropped a crumpet and picked it up. With the napkin, not my hands.” His face turning red, he pointed to the napkin. “There. In that napkin.”
She bit her lip so she wouldn’t laugh. He had no idea how charming he could be. When she could trust herself to speak, she asked, “Have you been telling yourself good things like I instructed?”
“I’ve been trying to. It’s easy to doubt myself. I’m not as polished as other gentlemen.”
She shrugged. “Being polished isn’t the most important thing a gentleman can be.” She sipped her tea and chanced another look in his direction. “I can see you don’t believe me. But Camden,” she set her cup down and faced him, “it’s true. What a lady wants, more than anything, is for a gentleman who is sincere in his desire for her. If you can love her above all other ladies, that will make up for all the times you drop a piece of food on the floor.”
“You make it sound easy.”
“It is.” So easy, in fact, that too many gentlemen didn’t understand it. But she chose to keep this comment to herself.
“If that’s true, then why are titles so important to ladies?”
“I suspect it’s more important to ambitious parents than the ladies. Though t
here are a couple ladies who want a titled gentleman. I won’t deny that.”
“A gentleman who is polished… He’d know how to kiss a lady, wouldn’t he?”
Surprised the question came up, it took her a moment to think of an answer. “I suppose she’d expect it. Gentlemen are expected to know more than ladies in that regard.” Good heavens. Was her face really turning warm from the talk of a simple kiss? She’d shared these discussions with ladies from time to time. She had no idea why it should catch her off guard this time. Clearing her throat, she added, “But you needn’t worry. I assure you that the lady you end up with will find you charming enough that your lack of experience in that area won’t bother her.”
“I don’t know.”
“Why do you doubt me? I’m a lady, aren’t I?”
“Yes.”
“And I deal with ladies all the time who are looking to get married,” she pointed out. “I know a lady’s heart better than anyone in London.”
“But people don’t marry for love.”
“Just because people don’t marry for love, it doesn’t mean love can’t develop in time.”
“Is that what happened with you and your husband? Did you fall in love with each other over time?”
She wasn’t sure how to answer his question. She could lie, she supposed, but it wouldn’t do him any good. She’d long ago left her husband in the past, choosing to go back to considering him as only a friend after the way he hurt her. But maybe if she gave him a glimpse into how important it was that he love his wife, she’d spare his future wife the pain she had endured.
“I did fall in love with him,” she admitted. “We’d known each other our entire lives, and our marriage was arranged so we knew we’d be together. Even so, I didn’t develop a romantic attachment to him until after our wedding.”
Frowning, he asked, “What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, she let out what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug. “He never felt the same way. Camden,” she continued, choosing to change the subject before the conversation took a dangerous turn, “this is why I hope you’ll choose to love the lady you marry. I know you have to marry a lady because of money, but there’s no reason it has to be only a marriage of convenience. There could be more.”
Love Lessons with the Duke Page 9