by Cheryl Holt
“It sounds as if you’re saying goodbye.”
“I guess I am.”
“Just like that? You spend the night with me then you flit away as if it didn’t matter?”
“It didn’t matter, and it’s over.”
“What if you’re with child?” he caustically inquired, hoping he could rattle her, but she was even more unflappable than her irksome brother.
“If it turns out I am,” she blithely said, “I’ll have my brother contact you.”
She hurried away and was out the front door and running down the grand stairs before he caught up with her.
“Annabel!” he called, and he was so incensed he was trembling. “What am I to think? I made you a perfectly good offer, and you tossed it back in my face.”
“Perhaps you could think that—despite how I disgraced myself with you—I am a respectable gentlewoman who has been greatly humiliated by your lewd proposition.”
“I’m sorry. I swear the arrangement wasn’t intended as an insult. I was trying to honor you so you’d know how much I care!”
“I thought you were different,” she scathingly fumed. “I thought I was special to you.”
One of the boys from the stable had saddled a horse for her, and he was clutching the reins, watching for her so he could help her mount. He was all ears, his curious gaze whipping from her to him to her again.
“Could we go inside and talk about this?” he asked.
“No. I’m quite sure we’ve said everything we have to say to each other.”
“You haven’t told me where you’re living in London.”
“Why would I?”
“But...how will I find you?”
“Why would I want you to find me?”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I mean it. I definitely do.”
He felt as if she’d punched him. Her words hit him that hard.
He was practically dizzy over what had happened. In a matter of minutes, he’d moved from the pinnacle of joy to the depths of despair. What if he never saw her again?
Her brother is still here!
The instant she left he’d locate Fenwick and garner all the personal information he was so desperate to have.
He’d been so swept up in their quarrel that he hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings. Suddenly, a coach was rumbling into the drive, and female voices were chattering away. In horror, he glanced over to discover that Veronica and her friends had arrived. They were hanging out the carriage windows, waving and laughing.
With Annabel being so pigheaded, he’d forgotten all about Veronica. He couldn’t deal with her. Not when Annabel was about to vanish from his life forever.
“Benjamin!” Veronica was grinning, gesturing to him. “Benjamin! Look! Surprise!”
Annabel whirled around and gaped at the carriage. “Who is that?”
“She’s...ah...an acquaintance of Wesley’s.”
Yet Annabel had always been much too smart. She gasped with offense. “Is that your fiancée?” He couldn’t possibly reply, and she said, “It’s her, isn’t it?”
Veronica called again. “Benjamin, lower the step! We’re so excited to finally be here.”
“Yes, Benjamin,” Annabel hissed, “lower the step. Why are you dithering?”
His cheeks were so hot he worried he was about to ignite. “Would you please go inside? We’ll discuss this later.”
“Where would I wait for you? Up in my bedchamber?” She paused then an infuriating truth dawned on her. “This is why you were trying to be rid of me, isn’t it? When we were arguing in the front parlor, you ordered me to my room—as if I were an ill-behaved child.”
He’d never been more flummoxed or embarrassed. How did a man muddle through such an awkward moment? He had no idea.
“What would you have me say, Annabel?”
“How long would I have had to hide up there? Hours? Days?”
“I don’t know,” he tepidly said for he couldn’t think of a single response that wouldn’t enrage her further.
“You’re an ass, Benjamin Grey, and I hate you.”
Before he realized her intent, she slapped him as hard as she could, and the blow was so fierce that he was actually staggered by it. Then, with the agility of a circus performer, she leapt onto her horse and spurred it into a gallop. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared and he could only stand in his driveway, frozen like a dunce.
He was rubbing his jaw, feeling sick at heart, like the despicable cad he was. He didn’t deserve her affection. He didn’t deserve her.
He spun to the carriage where all the girls in it—including his fiancée—were gawking at him in astonishment. Benjamin wished the ground would open and swallow him whole.
“Who was that, Benjamin?” Veronica inquired. “She seemed a tad upset?”
There were a thousand questions buried in her query, but he couldn’t answer any of them.
Like the worst bounder in the world, he instantly and completely denied the love of his life. “She’s...ah...no one. No one at all.”
ET’S TALK IN MY library. Now.”
Veronica stared up at Benjamin and forced a smile. “Well, of course we should talk, but I’ve brought guests, and I should get them settled.”
“They’re not staying, Veronica. Neither are you.”
“Don’t be absurd. We’ve come all this way.”
They were standing in the driveway at Grey Manor, and when they’d arrived, Benjamin had been arguing with a beautiful auburn-haired woman. He’d said something to anger her, and she’d slapped him and galloped off.
There was a red mark on his cheek where the blow had landed. It had to hurt. He kept furtively rubbing it, and he was peering down the road as if yearning to chase after her.
Clearly, an emotional moment had occurred, one that Veronica never should have witnessed. Who was the woman? What was she to Benjamin?
She was dying to ask him, but didn’t dare. He was glaring at her with such fury that she was unnerved. The spurt of bravado that had carried her from town was swiftly waning, and it was being rapidly replaced by worries that she’d miscalculated.
She’d been desperate to see Michael again, desperate to tell him he couldn’t break it off. Not yet! He’d delivered an excitement to her life she’d never experienced before. He’d forced her to acknowledge that she was miserably unhappy and needed to assess her choices.
Behind her, she could feel the curious gazes of all her friends. They were still in the carriage, their second carriage rumbling up the drive too, bringing even more of her acquaintances.
At the ball the previous evening, she’d convinced people to accompany her. None of them had ever been to Grey Manor, and they were all eager to see it. Plus, there was the added thrill of being engaged in a naughty venture.
They were all aware that Benjamin’s bachelor party was in progress. Veronica had claimed it would be a huge lark to surprise him, and he’d be amused by her audacity.
She hadn’t actually thought he would be, but she’d risked his displeasure, being certain stellar manners would prevail and they’d be allowed to debark and come inside. He couldn’t send them away! If he did, she’d never live down the humiliation.
He went over to the driver, and they had a quick exchange she couldn’t hear. Then he addressed her friends.
“I’m sorry,” he told them, “but I’m on my way to London so it’s not convenient for me to have visitors.”
“Isn’t your brother here?” someone asked.
“No,” he said which had to be a lie.
Wesley had escorted them from town. He’d ridden on horseback and had hurried on ahead. She supposed to warn Benjamin and obviously he had. Benjamin was getting snippier by the minute.
“I have to speak privately with Veronica,” he said to those in the carriage. “You’re welcome to climb down and stretch your legs, but you’ll all be leaving shortly.”
There were offended mutterings, but she didn�
��t have to suffer through much of it. He marched her into the house, and his strides were so long and so determined that she had to race to keep up. They walked in the front door, and the butler was hovering.
“Don’t let a single person enter,” Benjamin advised the man.
Then he led her directly to the library where he proceeded to glower at her. He didn’t sit down. Nor did he offer her a chair. His treatment of her was despicable, and she was so upset she nearly burst into tears.
“What are you doing here, Veronica?” he snootily inquired.
“I decided it would be fun to come for the day.”
“Wesley tells me you’re spending the night.”
“What if I am?” she blustered.
“It’s not appropriate.”
“Who cares, Benjamin? We’ll be wed soon. It hardly matters if we enjoy a bit of unstructured frivolity.”
“It hardly matters?” He snorted with disgust. “Are you deranged? You’ve brought what? Twelve people? Fifteen? And you intend that all of them will stay without asking me if it would be all right.”
“It will be my home in a few weeks. Why can’t I invite guests?”
“Because it will be your home in a few weeks!” He actually shouted the comment. “I’m enjoying my bachelor party, and there’s no one in attendance who would be suitable for you to meet.”
“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you assembled such a disreputable group.”
He ignored the taunt and continued scolding her. “The bedchambers are all occupied so I don’t have room.”
“Then we’ll just have a picnic and depart afterward.”
“No. You’re going now.”
“I won’t,” she mulishly said.
“You won’t?” He threw up his hands in frustration. “How dare you sass me! Here in my own house.”
“Sass you!” she fumed. “I’m twenty years old, and I’m about to be your bride. I should be able to state my opinion without you snapping and barking as if I’m a little girl.”
“Your demand to remain is not an opinion. It is you categorically insisting you will not heed me.”
“You’re being an ogre so I don’t wish to heed you.”
“I’ve written to your mother to inform her of this prank.”
“You tattled to my mother?”
“Yes, and after I’ve finished my business in town, I will talk to your parents.”
“About what?”
“About your behavior. What possessed you? What insane idea lodged itself in your head? If these are the sorts of decisions you are prone to making, you don’t have the maturity or temperament to be a countess.”
Suddenly, the crux of her dilemma was on the table, and it was on the tip of her tongue to tell him to stuff it, to tell him he could have his stupid earldom, that she’d met someone her own age, someone who thrilled her, someone who liked her very much—as he never had.
But though the words were choking her, she couldn’t spit them out. Instead, she asked the question that had been vexing her.
“Who was the woman who slapped you?”
“She is a guest who is very unhappy today.”
“Why? What did you do to her?”
“That, Veronica, is none of your affair, and it’s precisely the reason you shouldn’t have come. You have barged into a spot where you’re not welcome and should never have visited. Since you’re here when you shouldn’t be, don’t be surprised if you happen to view events you weren’t meant to witness.”
The conversation was over. He escorted her down the hall and she dragged her feet, but he was much bigger than she was and she couldn’t slow him down.
They hurried along and her mind was awhirl, frantically evaluating the tidbit he’d supplied about the woman who’d slapped him. Was she a favorite doxy? Was she an opera dancer?
Veronica had always been told that trollops looked like the loose women they were, that a respectable female could pick one out at a hundred paces. But the woman had been glamorous and beautiful. Was she more to him than a doxy? Gad, could he have taken a...a...mistress and she hadn’t heard?
She was desperate to ask him, but she couldn’t figure out how. If he had a mistress, wasn’t it further evidence that Michael was the better choice for her? Wasn’t it evidence that Benjamin Grey was no choice at all?
They arrived at the front door, and the butler whipped it open so Benjamin could stomp down the stairs with her. Her companions had exited the two carriages and were milling about, gossiping, murmuring. As Benjamin and Veronica appeared, they all straightened as if discipline was about to be imposed.
“I’ve spoken to Veronica,” he announced, “and we’ve agreed that I can’t host any guests. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you.”
People were nervously glancing from him to her. Veronica had never been more embarrassed, and her cheeks were flushed with shame. She was sure the others noticed, but her only thought was that she hadn’t seen Michael. She’d dared all for the chance to talk to him, but her jaunt had been a colossal failure.
Benjamin went to her carriage and lifted her in. She could have protested his high-handed manner, but with all eyes on them she wouldn’t quarrel. She had to smooth over the awkward encounter by pretending nothing was wrong.
“If you’ll be in town,” she said, “will you stop by tonight? We could go to the theater.”
“I’ll be busy so I can’t predict my schedule.”
“When are you returning to the country? Will you be in London for the evening? Or will you remain for a few days?”
“I’m not certain.”
He stepped away and motioned for everyone to climb in. He was imperious and commanding, like the army captain he was but also like the domineering, dictatorial husband he would definitely be.
Her friends obeyed him without argument, and mostly they were quiet and polite, but there were mumbled complaints such as rude oaf and bloody waste of time. Benjamin had to have heard them, but he didn’t show by even the slightest change of expression that he was bothered by their comments.
As to herself, she was smiling a fake smile, but did he realize how he’d disgraced her? Probably not. He was such a bully, and in his view the whole world revolved around him. She was merely a tiny planet orbiting his grand self.
Quickly, the carriages were loaded. The drivers clicked the reins and the vehicles lumbered off. Benjamin stoically observed their departure. They circled by the house, but she didn’t look at him. She looked up at the manor.
If Benjamin would be in London, she could sneak back with her maid and meet privately with Michael. She had to learn when he’d be in the city in the future, where he’d be staying. She’d come alone with no entourage to reveal her presence. She’d tiptoe in and out before anyone was aware she’d arrived.
Yes, that was a better idea. Why hadn’t she done that in the first place?
BENJAMIN STORMED DOWN THE hall, not certain for whom he was searching. His brother? Michael Fenwick? No one at all? The only person he truly wanted to see was Annabel who’d galloped off in a snit.
There were people he didn’t know loafing in his parlors. They were friends of Wesley’s, men from his clubs and university. What use had he for any of them?
He located his brother on the rear verandah. He was seated at a table with Fenwick, and no doubt they were scheming in ways that would end up costing Benjamin money.
“Good, I found you together,” Benjamin said as he pulled up a chair. “This will make things easy for me. What are you discussing so furtively?”
“I’m plotting to steal your silver candlesticks.” Fenwick smirked. “There’s a pair in my bedroom I’d really like to have.”
“Very funny.”
“Why aren’t you out in the drive waiting for Veronica?” Wesley asked.
“I was. She arrived, and I sent her back to London.”
“She went without arguing?”
“She argued, but I sent her away any
way.”
Fenwick scowled. “Veronica was here?”
“Veronica?” Benjamin raised a caustic brow at Fenwick. “Is there some reason you’re on familiar terms with my fiancée?”
Fenwick stared at Benjamin with a cocky expression then he smiled a lazy smile. “She and I met in town. We’re great chums.”
“That news absolutely terrifies me,” Benjamin scathingly retorted. “Stay away from her.”
“She probably doesn’t wish me to,” the impertinent oaf said.
“Humor me and do as I say.”
“I’ll ask her opinion,” Fenwick taunted. “She’s such a friendly girl, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t think, Fenwick, and if you don’t wipe that smart look off your face, I will wipe it off for you.” Benjamin turned to Wesley. “I’ve decided this party is over.”
“But the guests are expecting to revel for another week.”
Fenwick added, “And I’m expecting to empty their purses.”
“Tell me something, Fenwick,” Benjamin said. “Do you cheat at cards? Is that why you always win?”
“Benjamin!” Wesley scolded, but Fenwick simply chuckled.
“Me? Cheat? Why would I need to? I’m a better gambler than any man in the room.”
Benjamin turned to his brother again. “I want everyone out. Tomorrow morning.”
“You’re being horrid,” Wesley complained. “Why would you care if we continue? You’ve hardly been here to join in the festivities.”
“You planned this imbroglio merely to upset Veronica.”
“Well...maybe,” Wesley grumbled.
“She’s come, she’s seen, she’s traveled on. The party is ended. Tomorrow morning,” he repeated. He glared at Fenwick. “That especially includes you. I want you gone most of all.”
“Benjamin!” Wesley scolded again.
“I don’t mind,” Fenwick said to Wesley. “Annabel left, and I don’t like to gamble without her.”
“Your sister doesn’t gamble,” Benjamin said.
“No, but she distracts the other players. Men can’t keep their eyes off her.” Fenwick grinned. “I guess I don’t have to explain that to you.”