The Aristocrat's Lady (Love Inspired Historical)

by Moore, Mary

  “Old General Thomas, God bless him, was seated next to Mrs. Ballingham-Smythe at dinner. He is as old as the hills and deaf to boot. Every attempt on her part to talk to him only brought the reply telling her to speak up. After several go-rounds she finally threw up her hands in despair and knocked a platter of turbot right out of the footman’s hand.”

  “I do not believe one word, Nicky. You are making the whole thing up to please me.”

  “Upon my honor, sweetheart, it all happened as I said. Why, even the haughty Miss Letitia Preston was upset because she had to open the ball with the young Duke of Crawford. He was the highest ranking title there, you see, and she complained that her pink dress and his red hair would clash!”

  “Nick, you know that was not truly the enjoyment I prayed for. I prayed for you to enjoy yourself with a special companion or a new friend.”

  “Very well, minx—if you must know, I did meet a nice gentleman tonight. I enjoyed the evening much more than usual. Now do not go into whoops, I am only telling you this to show you that Papa was right and God does listen to your concern for others.”

  “Oh, Nicky, tell me all about it!”

  “He was a mere mortal and I met him when I went out on the terrace to get a breath of fresh air. We had a very nice conversation, and since Toby was not with me, Lord Devlin was not aware of my accident. We had a nice pleasant conversation about the Swathmores’ gardens.”

  “You call that the answer to my prayers?” Chelsea groaned in exasperation.

  Nicole sat up straight and knew she had to be honest with her worrisome sister. “Darling, when all you desire is a little normalcy and it comes along in such a nice and unexpected fashion, believe me, it is a very special answer.”

  She could not help thinking back on the evening as she continued. “Lord Devlin was exceptionally kind and made me laugh. You know, more often than not I find myself laughing at London gentlemen, not with them.”

  Nicole came out of her reverie and smiled dearly at Chelsea. “That is all there was to it, minx. Now since I told Stella not to wait up for me, would you like to help me change for bed?”

  Nicole discovered she was glad to have the company. She suddenly feared the quiet of the night and the subject her thoughts might continue to dwell upon. She could only pray silently for God’s strength.

  While Nicole was regretting her decision to have Chelsea as her abigail, Lord Devlin was sitting alone in his coach, his own thoughts far from restive. He was going to his grandmother’s house only two miles beyond Swathmore Hall.

  His grandmother was the only relative he felt any fondness for. Indeed, she was the only person he truly loved, as much as he could understand love. Knowing he would be so near tonight, he had informed her through the post that he wished to stay the night with her after the Swathmore fete.

  She would want to discuss the ball, but he was not sure he was prepared to talk to anyone about the sudden departure of his usual boredom after meeting Lady Nicole Beaumont. She was a very special woman, of that he was certain.

  Discounting his impressions of her physical charms, it was her wit and intelligence, along with her innocence and experience, that made him think of her as more than a beauty. His own mind told him repeatedly that innocence and experience in one package seemed a conundrum, but he felt it nonetheless. Could he believe that such a desirable woman was truly disinterested in marriage or the social whirl?

  But as his coach pulled up to the dower’s house, his thoughts changed direction and settled on the woman who had been mother and father to him for most of his life. His grandmother seemed to get a little frailer each time he saw her now, and he knew she could no longer get out of the Bath chair she had once used only as a convenience. She was more special to him than she would ever know.

  Lady Augusta, the dowager countess, was his fraternal grandmother and had always tried her best to shield him from his father’s harshness. Devlin’s mother had been too weak to stand up to the fifth Earl of DeVale. Even Devlin’s marriage had been loveless. But his grandmother was strong and her protection had often spared him unjust punishment. They soon came to share a love built on respect and caring that he had never felt before or since.

  Indeed, he always looked forward to time with his grandmother. Thinking about it now, he realized he had grown up hearing of his grandmother’s great dependence on God. Lady Nicole also broached that subject. But as Devlin grew and became more and more embittered with his father and society in general, his grandmother’s beliefs seemed incongruous in the world he lived in.

  He supposed his grandmother’s faith in a supreme being had kept him from overt surprise when Lady Nicole had indicated the same. But he believed as a young, beautiful woman in the midst of a London Season, it would be a simple matter to trust in an all-loving God. She had not seen enough of the world to be jaded as he had.

  His grandmother was convinced there was still a woman for him who would unlock his heart, and she often castigated Jared’s father for the tangle he had made of her grandson’s life.

  Devlin looked forward to recounting to Lady Augusta the details of the Swathmore ball, especially an incident with a platter of turbot, but he did not think he would yet mention the mysterious episode on the terrace. He had not convinced himself that it was not all a trick of the moonlight!

  He entered his grandmother’s drawing room and found her comfortably ensconced in her Bath chair near the fire.

  “Jared,” she said with a loving smile. “I am so glad you have come.”

  Devlin leaned down to kiss the weathered cheek then brought both of her fragile hands up to his lips.

  “My lady,” he reproved her, “what are you about, to give up your rest to wait upon me? I should never have asked to come had I suspected you would jeopardize your health over it!” Pulling a covered footstool closer to her chair, he sat before her.

  “Goodness, Jared.” It was the lady’s turn to scowl. “What an abominable greeting.” She had feigned anger, but she soon looked at him with her dazzling smile as she squeezed his hand. “My dear, you must not scold me. Tell me all about the ball. Indeed, I shall surprise my neighbors by knowing all the gossip before they do!”

  An image of a dark-haired beauty on a moonlit terrace flashed through Devlin’s mind. He decided that despite what he had just told himself, sharing that unexpected encounter would not only please his grandmother, but would possibly help him dispel the air of mystery he had put upon it.

  “It was no different from any other of the balls I have attended over the past ten years. I did meet an unusual woman. She left, however, before she could become a dead bore.”

  She casually asked him while taking a sip of her tea, “Did you set up a new flirt, dear?”

  Devlin laughed out loud. “Grandmother, you are a complete hand!”

  “You avoid my question, Jared.”

  Devlin laughed again and held up both hands as if to ward off a blow.

  “Then tell me, dear, who is it that piqued your interest tonight?” Lady Augusta watched a faraway look come into her grandson’s eyes. She was now certainly intrigued.

  “Your description is quite apt, Grandmother. Lady Nicole definitely ‘piqued my interest.’ The sameness of such events is becoming tedious. Dare I admit I was in a dark corner hoping to avoid notice?”

  “If what I hear is correct, you very seldom avoid notice.”

  “When I was young I found all of the attention quite diverting. I enjoyed the antics some women went to just to get my attention. Fainting spells and sprained ankles were a common occurrence when I was by.” He looked at the older woman with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I would know, do they teach women those maneuvers from a young age, or must you invent such ploys as you go along?”

  “Do not be impertinent, Jared. You know very well I despise such artifice.”

  He was obediently contrite. “I apologize, ma’am.” He continued with his train of thought. “But after Vivian, I no longer saw such ma
chinations as humorous, and I can no longer even pretend to be flattered by them. These women have no knowledge of me beside what they have heard through the gossipmongers. Yet it seems not to matter as long as I am a wealthy earl.” He stopped, downing the rest of his brandy all at once.

  Lady Augusta patted his hand. “I gather the someone you met tonight was quite different?”

  “To own the truth, Grandmother, I do not know. I know that while we conversed she had no idea who I was. However, I do believe that had she known, she would not have behaved any differently. I suppose the fact that she did not fawn over me explains my notice of her.” He hoped he sounded nonchalant to his grandmother.

  “You begin to interest me greatly, Jared. Why would she have acted differently had she known who you were?”

  “I am afraid I was a bit…ah…starched up, and she gave me quite a set-down. I believe you would have liked her immensely!”

  “Jared, what in the world…?”

  “Do not be alarmed, I did nothing too outlandish!” He winked to reassure his grandmother. “I am only aware that had I behaved so to someone knowing my identity, I cannot help but believe they would have playfully rapped me with their fan and called me a shocking tease. It was quite diverting to be put in my place for a change.

  “It made me wish to further the acquaintance. However, soon after she left the ball with her mother, and I had no opportunity to determine whether her indifference was only another creative attempt at catching a husband or a shocking decline in my wit and charm.” He doubted he would ever know the answer and was a little surprised that he wished it otherwise.

  “Do not worry, I have not lost my wits,” he continued, striving to stay away from deeper ruminations. “Having an interesting, intelligent conversation with a female not intent on fawning on me was quite pleasant.”

  “She sounds quite spirited,” his grandmother remarked cautiously.

  “Yes, I believe she must be, but I own she was quite composed after our initial encounter. I am inclined to believe the set-down was a little out of character for her. She was quite reticent thereafter and never looked me in the eye. It was fleeting, but I thought you would enjoy knowing my evening had not been quite as boring as most.”

  He would have been quite surprised to hear Lady Nicole making the same explanation to her little sister back in London!

  Chapter Three

  “Lady Nick?”

  “Yes, Toby?”

  “There’s a caller waiting for you in the blue drawing room. Lady B sent me ’ere to fetch you.”

  Botheration! In the early mornings Nicole was free to do as she wished. That wish entailed spending time in the small garden she had lovingly tended since their arrival in Town. Many mornings she would just sit and appreciate working with the flowers and herbs, especially their fragrances. She was now able to separate each smell. She delighted in the sweet perfume of the roses as well as the pungent, tangy scent of the thyme.

  Now her only solitude was to be interrupted.

  “Toby, Mama would have a fit of the vapors if I greeted anyone dressed like this. Could you please let her know I have gone to change?”

  Stella helped Nicole change into a dark blue morning gown with an Empire waist and a high white ruffled collar. There was a white ribbon tied around the empire waist, which hung to the floor and accentuated the collar. The sleeves were short blue puffs with the same white ruffle at the hem. Stella did not have time to curl her hair, so she just brushed it until it shone, then pulled it up in a blue-and-white ribbon.

  Toby took her arm at the bottom of the stairs, taking her to the morning room. “Do you know who the caller is?”

  “Nope, can’t say that I do. Didn’t feel it was my place to ask. Your mother sent me for you before she went into the drawing room.”

  “I suppose it makes little difference. Thank you for your help.”

  Nicole knocked on the drawing room door, then opened it and entered, saying, “I am sorry for the delay, Mother. As you know I was working in the garden and had to change my…”

  “Darling,” Lady Beaumont said, interrupting her daughter in an obvious state of agitation, “only see who has called on us this morning.” Her voice sounded distraught as she added, “You remember Lord Devlin?”

  The look on Nicole’s face must have been identical to the one her mother had presented, for Lord Devlin laughed and said, “I see I have caught both of you ladies quite by surprise this morning.” Since Nicole did not move in his direction, he walked to her and raised her hand to his lips in a light salute.

  Nicole was nervous, and her thoughts were running rampant. What was he doing here? It had been over two weeks since they had met! In those first few days she had lived in dread and in hope of having him call. She’d spent days after the ball trying to remember what had been said in the shadows of a moonlit balcony.

  She finally decided that she did not give a hang what he was like, as it appeared he would not further the acquaintance. As the days passed into weeks, she accepted his defection. Her mother told her not to compare the men she would meet to Michael. Yet the only other man she had been attracted to since Michael had reacted the same. So she had convinced herself to keep him as a special memory and nothing more. Now he was here, and she was not prepared.

  “Mama, I am sure you have ordered some refreshment for his lordship. Shall I check on what is keeping it?”

  “Darling, I did offer, but Lord Devlin said he could not stay but a moment.” Indecision was evident in her voice.

  Lord Devlin was enjoying himself immensely. During Nicole’s deafening silence, he had ample time to reassure himself that he had not imagined her beauty. She was not in the first blush of youth, but she looked in daylight as she had in the shadows! The Empire design kept him in the dark as to her figure, but her hair was long and chestnut with a few tendrils escaping the ribbon in back. Her eyes were large, thick-lashed and very brown.

  He wished he could just sit and study all the nuances Lady Nicole presented. He watched her as she wrung her hands in her lap. He watched her foot tap under her skirt, and imagined that sitting still in her chair was driving her to distraction. Yes, he was enjoying himself to the hilt!

  “I did mention to your mother that I cannot stay. I wished, however, to call upon you and ask if you would do me the honor of driving with me this afternoon. I want to apologize for not calling on you sooner. I went to visit my grandmother in Beckenham after the ball that night. Unfortunately she was not feeling as well as I had hoped, so I remained with her an extra week.”

  The flash of outrage on Nicole’s face vanished quickly, but his intense study of her did not allow it to pass unnoticed. She still doubted that he had a grandmother at all!

  “My lord, I would be honored to drive out with you today. However, I find the crush of carriages during the five o’clock hour puts quite a damper on the excursion.” She seemed to be bored. “I have come to wonder why anyone actually calls it a drive?”

  The chit was being impertinent, and he could not wait to see where it led!

  “Perhaps if we go a little earlier, we might truly enjoy it. Oh dear, I should not be putting you out so,” she said, though he did not think her sorry in the least. “I am imposing—please forgive me. Perhaps we may go another time.”

  The impudent minx was actually giving him another set-down! She acted as though she did not care a jot whether she was seen driving in his curricle at the fashionable hour! Now he knew why he could not forget her. She was original and quite able to handle herself…and him!

  Two could play at such a game, he thought. “Six o’clock would be better for me, my lady. It will be a little cooler then as well.” At her barely perceptible acquiescence, he rose. “Thank you for your time this morning, I look forward to this afternoon.” He bowed, and turned toward the door.

  Nicole’s mother stopped him in the doorway. “Perhaps, my lord, since you will be driving with Nicky so late, you would care to stay and have suppe
r with us afterward? I know it would be unusual,” she said in a small stammer, “however, it is our ‘at home’ night, and you would be very welcome. We are quite informal on such evenings. We would not expect you to change from your driving clothes.”

  Devlin’s instinct was to give a cool denial and stop any pretensions early. But he was intrigued by the beautiful Nicole and decided to withhold presupposition at least until after the drive. He could always “remember” a prior engagement if it became necessary.

  Lord Devlin shocked Nicole by saying, “I would be charmed, Lady Beaumont.” As he walked out the door he said, “Lady Nicole, my carriage will call for you at six.”

  Several hours later, the usually composed Nicole was in a state of high fidgets. Drat the man! she thought. She stamped her foot in vexation. Why could he not have taken the hint to go away? His appearance had upset her entire notion of priority!

  And what was her mother about, inviting him to dinner? He was a famous Corinthian! He did not do “at homes” with a countrified family he had seen only twice. It must be so unusual that it amused him to accept. He was likely ruing the day he had ever expressed an interest in calling on them.

  It was too late now, however. She only hoped it would not prove too embarrassing and that he would allow them to get through the last few weeks of the Season in relative obscurity. With his standing in Society, he had the power to make them the laughingstock of London. Home looked even more tempting!

  Nicole finally settled on a russet driving gown and Stella chose a matching spencer and hat. Her dress was very simple, and she tied her hair in a loose chignon at her nape to keep it from blowing during the drive. She was in the foyer pulling on her gloves when a knock sounded at the front door. Geeves bowed gracefully. “Your lordship.”

  Devlin came to Nicole immediately and raised her gloved hand to his lips in a swift kiss. He did not hold it overlong and she complimented him on his promptness.