Regency Romance: Loving The Reluctant Viscount (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Regency Romance & Mystery)

by Jessie Bennett

  “It looks like they are dancing to me. Why? What do you see, Em?”

  “I see a man taken with a woman and she with him. You don’t see that?”

  Steven looked again. “I suppose they do look quite comfortable with each other.”

  “Well, I do not like the look of it.” Emiline huffed, her face screwed up in a sneer.

  Steven frowned down at her, shaking his head. He moved so that his lips were close to her ear. “You must wipe that look from your face at once, my dear. If anyone should see you looking so unhappy, they might believe it is because of something I have said or done. I cannot have that.”

  “I tell you, I don’t like the look of it, Steven!”

  Steven grunted. “How long have we known each other now, Emiline?”

  Distracted from her frustration, Emiline had to think for a moment before answering his question. “I…We have known each other for several years.”

  “Yes, three to be exact. And how many times have you known me to steer you wrong?”

  Emiline snorted. “You have always chosen your own path, Steven Miner. And I have always followed along like a good little servant.”

  “You, my dear, have never been my servant.” Steven laughed without humor. “Though you have served me in some capacity, haven’t you?”

  Emiline’s cheeks darkened. “What is the point of this conversation, Steven?” She hissed.

  “I am only trying to get you to worry less about what your brother and Janelle are doing and concentrate more on your own duty.”

  “My duty at this point is lost to me, Steven.”

  “Your brother knows nothing of our relationship,” Steven spoke the words as if he was talking to a five-year-old. “No one in this country knows of our relationship. As far as they know, we have never met before. We must take advantage of their ignorance and use it to our benefit.”

  Emiline nodded. “This is something I already know. I am asking you to tell me what this has to do with Allan and Lady Dowling. Is she not the very woman we were speaking of a few nights ago?”

  “She is.”

  “It’s the Dowling family you mentioned while we were in the United States.”

  “That is correct.”

  “I am utterly stunned that Allan has never seen you or realized that you have been traveling with us out of sight.”

  “It is due to changing my style of hair. In addition, I am quite sure he has never seen me clean-shaven before. I had a beard and mustache in much of Europe and only a mustache in the United States. I also made it a point to wear glasses while in the United States. It is with that mustache and glasses that I met and befriended Lady Dowling, who spoke so highly of her four daughters. She mentioned Duke Worthington and her daughter Elizabeth. She told me of their travels to Asia and Egypt.”

  “They have that…”

  “Yes, Janelle.” Steven cut her off. “They have the artifact.”

  “I do not see how you are going to compete with my brother, if you plan to woo the unmarried sister to get to it. And I am not very certain I wish you to, anyway.”

  A wicked look crossed Steven’s face. “Do you think you will lose me, my dear?”

  Emiline felt his arm tighten around her waist. His hand gripped hers firmly. It was a bit frightening but she pushed past her fear and smiled at him. “I do not believe that,” she retorted. “I am much more the woman for you, Lord Miner.”

  He didn’t release his tight grip immediately, as if continuing to claim his property by squeezing her tight against him. “Do not forget what you have just said, Emiline. There is just as much possibility of a man coming into your life that you find more attractive than me. And then I will be hanged for murder.”

  “You will not be hanged for murder, Steven. Theft perhaps. But not murder. Not while I am alive.”

  Steven’s laughter came out sharp and almost angry. “You would be able to do nothing to stop it.”

  “I would not put another man before you, Steven.”

  “That is correct, Em. You will not. You have trained yourself not to look at other men, haven’t you?”

  Emiline felt like a child being scolded by a parent when she answered. “No, Steven.”

  He nodded. “That is as it should be. You would not be here if not for me. You must not forget that.”

  “I know.” Emiline was glad the room was not brightly lit. She knew that her cheeks were flushed red. He was embarrassing her. She was glad no one could hear their conversation.

  Elizabeth’s skirts brushed softly against her legs as Shawn danced with her. She turned her head so that she could see her sister and Allan as they danced the last dance together. They were smiling and laughing. She wondered if something would come out of that. Lord Allan Gray seemed a reputable man, something with style, class and a good upbringing. She wondered if there were more siblings or if he and Emiline were the only children.

  Thinking of the young woman made her look for her. She was dancing with Steven Miner.

  Several couples passed her by and she did not see the two she was looking for. Eventually, she spotted the couple dancing very slowly near the tables by the large glass doors that opened onto the veranda.

  Emiline did not look happy. This would make the second dance she had shared with the lord. Elizabeth wondered why she would accept a dance with a man she obviously was not happy dancing with. Allan had mentioned that Emiline’s behavior was not as gay and happy as it once was. But why would the young woman accept a dance invitation if the man she was with made her look sad and uncomfortable.

  “Shawn.” Elizabeth got the attention of her husband, who was humming along to the song and whisking his wife from one side to the other with pure enjoyment.

  “Yes, my love?” Shawn stopped humming and smiled at her.

  “Do you see Miss Gray and Lord Miner over there? Look at them.”

  Shawn bobbed his head back and forth as he and Elizabeth made a circle and took a few steps to the side. He glanced subtly at Emiline and Steven. “Yes, I see them.” He said. “What is it that troubles you?”

  “Do you not see how unhappy she looks? She looks…they seem too comfortable. It is as though they know each other.”

  Shawn shook his head and looked back to his wife.

  “She does look uncomfortable. But Lord Gray said that she has not been happy. Perhaps the traveling is affecting her more than she realizes. And it is impossible for them to know each other. This would have been mentioned. They would surely have recognized one another.”

  “Perhaps it is her traveling. But why would she allow a dance with anyone, when she is not going to be happy about it? And do you see how close they are together? He is holding her so tightly, it looks as though she might not be able to breathe.”

  “You have the eyes of a hawk, my darling. We do not know what’s going through her mind. She may have thought that a dance would cheer her up.” His words were spoken gently. Elizabeth was thinking something. It had to be something that could cause trouble.

  “This is her second dance with him.” Elizabeth shook her head. “He is looking at her as though he owns her.”

  “Could her first dance have gone better? He may be a charmer and very confident. He also might be fooling himself.” Shawn asked. “We do not know. When the ball is over, go over and ask her if she is all right. I’m sure she will be receptive of your compassion and will tell you all her troubles.”

  Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and lightly slapped him on the arm. “You are teasing me, husband.”

  Shawn grinned at her. “You have a way with others, Liz. I was not teasing. If I were not your husband, I would want to tell you all my innermost thoughts, all my dreams for the future, I would tell you everything there was to know about me.”

  “I’m sure you would, darling.” Elizabeth’s heart warmed as she gazed up at him.

  “I am unable to resist your charms.”

  “I think that means you cannot possibly know what someone who does not
have those feelings for me might do if I interfered in their private affairs.”

  Shawn shook his head. When he responded, his voice had dropped to a gentle, loving level. “My darling, would it not be better to extend a hand of friendship to a woman in need, rather than first assume she will reject that hand anyway and not give it a try? It would be wiser to let her know you are willing to listen, than never offer to listen at all. She may not ask but she may be too shy to do so. Offer her your hand and if she knocks it away, you will know that you tried.”

  Elizabeth pressed herself slightly against him. Her love for him flooded through her. “You are a wonderful man, Shawn.”

  He grinned. “I do try. Look at your sister. I do believe she is quite taken with Viscount Gray.”

  “I thought so, as well. I do believe we will be seeing a lot more of him in the near future.”

  “And for a while after the near future, as well.”

  Their exchange lifted Elizabeth’s mood somewhat. She took hold of her skirt and moved comfortably with her husband over the dance floor.

  “It would truly be lovely to add an Australian to our family. And how expansive it would be! Over several continents.”

  “Yes. It gives us a very good reason to visit the land, does it not?”

  “Most definitely!”

  Without another word, Shawn spun her in a circle and whisked her away from the rest of the dancing crowd, taking steps that would take them to the glass double doors. When they were close enough, he lifted his head and nodded to one of the manservants standing at each side. Both reacted immediately, reaching out to open the doors wide.

  Shawn danced with Elizabeth toward the doors and then through them. The final bars of the dance

  The last thing she saw as she went through the doors was the face of Emiline Gray. It was a strange look, one mixed with fear and humiliation. Elizabeth avoided making eye contact but the image of the poor woman lingered in her mind until her husband put an end to her thoughts by placing a soft kiss on both of her cheeks and then one on her lips.

  “You are the love of my life, Lady Duchess Elizabeth Dowling Worthington. Do you know that?”

  “Yes, Your Grace. I knew that.”

  They both laughed softly before meeting in the middle for another passionate kiss.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MAKING PLANS

  MAKING PLANS

  Shawn, Allan and Abe Montgomery, who had decided to also stay on for the night, stood out on the balcony of the room Shawn’s maids had prepared for Allan.

  “I hope that you will find your room to be satisfactory, Lord Gray.” Shawn said before taking a sip of wine from the glass in his hand.

  Allan tapped a finger on the cigar in his hand, letting the ash fall gently over the edge of the balcony to the grass below. “I am quite sure I will find it extremely satisfactory. I can tell by looking at it that you have an excellent interior designer.”

  “This manor has been the same for centuries, with few changes other than to rebuild the structure. The interior has changed dramatically but what you see here is not of my doing or anyone on my staff. It was my mother entirely. If she had not married a Duke, she would have found her place designing for all of Europe, kings and queens included. She had a fantastic mind for placing things together to make a masterpiece every time.”

  “How highly you speak of her!” Allan exclaimed. “Is she still living?”

  Shawn shook his head. “My mother died when I was 25. I miss her to this day.”

  “I am sure that you do.”

  “I am glad you decided to stay. It is my wife’s opinion that you would be a good match for my sister-in-law Janelle. You did seem to be enjoying your time with her.”

  “Yes, I find her to be an outstanding woman. What do you think of her, my lord?” Allan directed the question to Abe, whom he had seen dancing with Janelle during the ball.

  “She is a lovely girl.” Abe nodded. “As is your sister, Miss Gray. How is she doing after the party? At the end of the evening, she did not seem very happy.”

  Allan nodded. “She gets in certain moods that I do not understand. To be honest with you, there is little about women that I truly understand.”

  “I’m not sure it’s about gender, Lord Gray.” Shawn said in a pondering voice. “It seems to me there are just as many men who are equally difficult to understand. When two people think differently, regardless of gender, they are destined to miscommunicate. And it is not always a good thing.”

  “I do agree with you.” Abe said. He took a few puffs from his pipe and blew each one out rapidly, filling the air above him with a fine wispy smoke. “Odd people surround us.”

  The men chuckled.

  “May I say, Your Grace, your wife suits you well. The two of you seem made for each other. That is the kind of love I long for.”

  “You will be a very blessed man if you should find what I have.” Shawn smiled wide. “I know that my wife is the other half of me. I would not want to live without her. But there are many married couples who do not share that kind of love.”

  “I am aware of that.” Abe said, taking a few more puffs and watching the smoke rise, reflected by the bright nearly-full moon and the lit torches on both sides of the balcony. He moved his eyes to Shawn. “More than anyone perhaps.” He looked at Allan. “I was married and I have a son named Carter by that marriage. Carter is the only good thing to come out of it. She is now deceased and though I endeavor not to speak ill of the dead, she was not a kind or generous woman. It took me most of my marriage to realize that beauty on the outside does not guarantee that it goes below the surface. The woman I married was not the woman I courted. You have not been married yet, is that right?”

  “That is correct, Your Grace.”

  “My brother, William, was not a good man to his wife. He is now happily married to a princess in the Netherlands, where they reside for many months of the year. His first marriage was a disaster. It was not Liza that was the problem, though in some ways I suppose it was. She was mousy and dreary; very rarely did she smile or seem to enjoy things. Will decided to do whatever he wanted without regard to moral standards or ethics. Eventually, she died in her sleep.”

  “That is very sad. I am sorry.”

  “As I said, William is now happy with his new wife. Things worked out the way they were supposed to.”

  “How do you know that?” Allan asked. He looked around until he spotted an iron and mesh lounge chair to the side of the balcony. He walked to it and dragged it back to the middle of the balcony where he had been standing. When he dropped himself into it, he had to chuckle as Shawn and Abe also grabbed two chairs and dragged them over.

  “What do you mean?” Abe asked.

  Allan shrugged, tipping the last of his wine into his mouth before answering. “I suppose there is no real way for us to know if things are now the way they are supposed to be. Perhaps it would have been better should it have turned out another way.”

  Shawn gave Allan a close look. “The wine is getting to your head, Lord Gray. You are speaking nonsense.”

  Allan just laughed. “I am sorry to be confusing, Your Grace. I study the ancient philosophers and often try to think the way they might have, even in trivial situations.”

  “If there is one thing that my brother’s life has been filled with, Lord Gray, it is trivial situations.” He laughed in a soft, barking manner. “One right after another for the longest time. But now, as I said, he has settled down and is happy. It took him nearly thirty years but he did it.”

  “I am glad to hear it.”

  “As for your sister, she seemed quite comfortable with Lord Steven Miner. Do they know each other?”

  “I am unaware. He did not speak up about it.”

  “Elizabeth was certain there was a connection there.”

  “I have not personally met the man before. I do not think I have seen him.”

  “Is there a chance that your sister
would have a relationship with someone you did not know about?”

  Allan shook his head. “I don’t think that would be possible, Your Grace. She rarely leaves my side unless she is with other women, such as your wife or other female friends. Her life is her own to lead. But I would see no reason to hide a relationship from me.”

  Shawn nodded. “Yes, I see your point. It was just something Elizabeth mentioned.”

  “I have asked Janelle to go for a carriage ride with me tomorrow afternoon.” Allan said.

  Shawn raised his eyebrows. “Oh?”

  “Yes. She is an intriguing woman.” Allan moved tired eyes to him. “I trust you have no objection?”

  “No objection. The sisters do have a brother but he succeeded his authority over them when he got married and began having his own young ones.”

  Allan chuckled. “Then you understand why I asked you.”

  “Yes, I do.” Shawn smiled. “I happen to believe that even Elizabeth would not interfere if you were to court Janelle.”

  “Did I see her dancing with Lord Miner, as well?” Abe asked.

  “She did.” Allan nodded. Janelle had not spoken about Lord Miner while the two of them danced. They enjoyed each other on a level that superseded the others in the room. Whether they were alone or not, it felt as though they were. He did not consider Steven to be much competition for him. He would have to be considerably mistaken on his impression of her feelings for him.

  “I wonder if he asked her on a ride, too?” Abe couldn’t keep his voice from sounding amused. His eyes flashed in the torch light.

  Allan knew immediately that the man was teasing him. “I am not a jealous man, Lord Montgomery.” He kept his response short and his voice was taut.

  “I would think that a man with your confidence and strong ego would not be worried.”

  Allan looked at Abe. The older man was grinning wide, waiting for another terse response from the Australian Viscount. Allan tried to think of something brash to respond with but was too amused. When the pause became longer, it was obvious the moment had passed. All three men laughed uproariously.