Clearly, Jane must not be normal. Or possibly she was simply unreasonable.
Or, perhaps, she was neither normal nor reasonable.
He patted her hand where she held onto his elbow, almost in the way one would pat a dog for fetching and returning a stick. “Yes, I’m afraid we’ve had far more cloudy days of late than sunny days. But all that rain has produced some of the most beautiful flowers I’ve seen in Town in years. Why, look at this lovely field of daffodils! They are quite vibrant, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, quite.” Dear Lord, must they discuss all of the flora and fauna of Britain on this walk? She might never survive a full day in his company without wishing to run screaming in the opposite direction for more invigorating conversation.
“I daresay, if I might be so bold, Miss Matthews, you would look ravishing in such a shade.” When she didn’t immediately respond, he rushed on, “Oh dear, have I overstepped my bounds with you? I had thought...er, well, I had hoped that we...that we might be ready to move into more familiar territory.”
Drat. She’d been right in her assumptions, then. Jane really wished she had been wrong about this premonition, but this man, for some unknown reason, thought she held an affection for him which she absolutely couldn’t, even if she would.
Lord Eldgedge certainly was a very kind man, and he would be a perfectly acceptable—even desirable—match for some lucky young lady. But why must she be cursed with such luck?
Everything happening in her life of late seemed to be having the opposite effect from what she intended. In all the time she had been in London, she’d still been unable to sneak out to look at potential storefronts for her future business, let alone do anything else in preparation for it. Cousin Henrietta had kept her so busy with social obligations that there’d been no time for Jane to do anything on her own.
But none of that mattered at the moment. Lord Eldredge was looking at her with a slightly pained expression, but one that he was desperately trying to hide from her. Hurting him more than necessary was out of the question. But she must make the man understand that there could be no future between them.
Double drat. “My lord—“
“Please. Call me Miles. I would really love to hear you say my Christian name.”
Oh, goodness. She might have already made a bigger mull of things than she’d originally thought. “My lord, I believe it would be highly inappropriate for us to behave with so much familiarity at this point in time, sir.”
“Is it truly too soon, Miss Matthews? Have I made some dreadful mistake, then? You don’t hold me in the same affection in which I hold you?” He paused and stared out across the park they were nearing. “Because I do hold you in a certain affection. I think I might—”
“Oh please, sir. Do not say the words.” Drat, drat, drat. How had she allowed this man to fall in love with her? And she hadn’t seen it coming at all, even though Cousin Henrietta must have noticed. Why else would she have been so keen to rush Jane out the door with him, if not for the glimmer of hope she had for their future?
Dozens of fashionable ladies and gentlemen loomed in the not-so-distant foreground. Lord Eldredge stopped their progress before they were within earshot of any potential gossips and turned to face her directly.
“But I must. I believe I love you, Miss Matthews. I brought you out here alone today to ask you for your hand—to ask you to marry me.” His earnest eyes bored holes into her. “To ask you to become my viscountess.”
“Please do not ask that of me. Not now.” Not ever.
“Then when? Oh dear...you aren’t...is there another?” Anguish tore across his face.
“No, of course not,” Jane all but snapped. Gracious, she needed to get a hold on herself. She took a moment and willed her voice to return to that of a sane, calm woman, not a raving shrew. “There is no one else in my affections. But—”
“But you simply need more time,” Lord Eldredge cut in, breathing a sigh of relief. Blast and damn, why could he not understand? “Don’t say no, then, Miss Matthews. Not today. I’ll just have to increase my efforts to woo you, and ask you again when I believe you might give me the answer my heart desires.”
Oh, damnation.
He resumed his position by her side and returned her hand to his arm. “Shall we continue to the park, then?” He pasted a false smile, betrayed by the hurt lingering in his eyes, upon his face and led her on.
When they had only walked a few more paces down the lane, the Duke of Somerton, of all people, pulled up alongside them in his curricle, heading the opposite direction toward Hardwicke House. He inclined his head in their direction.
Jane’s attention, however, turned away from him and to the pair of horses leading his chariot. Her heart beat a frenetic tattoo against her chest and she found it terribly difficult to take a full breath, let alone hide her panic from anyone present. Instinctively, she pulled herself as far away from the beasts as she could, but Lord Eldredge placed a hand against her back and held her still.
“Good afternoon, Your Grace,” he called. “Miss Matthews and I were just out for an afternoon promenade through the park.”
“Eldredge,” came the clipped response. “And Miss Matthews,” followed, a bit more softly.
For a brief minute, Jane was able to pull her eyes away from the rabid beasts snorting and rearing their heads in her direction to look up at him. His eyes singed her with their intensity before they returned to her escort.
For at least that moment, she was glad for Lord Eldredge’s support against her back. Her fear of the horses might have been enough to send her into a fit of the vapors of its own accord, but with the heat of the duke’s anger added to it, she would otherwise surely be flat on the ground.
But why on earth was he so furious? Had she unwittingly broken another of the man’s ever-changing rules? She was just preparing herself to ask him that very question when the horse nearest to Lord Eldredge, and therefore nearest to herself, reared back against the harness and whinnied. Blood rushing downward from Jane’s head all the way to her toes. At any moment, she might disgrace herself before not only the duke and Lord Eldredge, but also the growing crowd passing the afternoon in the park.
Sit. She needed to sit.
And breathe. Breathing was an absolute necessity.
Jane waved her free hand toward a nearby bench. “I...I...think I should—”
But then it all went black.
~ * ~
“You should have bloody well caught her,” growled out a familiar masculine voice.
“And perhaps you should have controlled your horses,” countered another. “Couldn’t you see she was afraid? She was shaking visibly, you know.”
“I might ask you the same question, Eldredge. You took her out from my house, away from my mother and sisters. You were responsible for her health and safety.”
“If you thought me an unsuitable escort for her, you should have made your feelings known before now.”
The arguing voices were causing her head to throb, and Jane had the uncomfortable realization that she was somehow perched between the two men blaming each other for her situation, one hard male body pressed against each of her sides, holding her upright.
“Keep your voice down. You’re attracting an audience. The last thing she needs is more gossip.”
Oh, good gracious. “The last thing I need,” she said quietly, so as not to worsen the headache that was rapidly building, “is the two of you having a discussion about me as though I am not seated here between you.”
She tried to open her eyes, but then fluttered them shut again when the blinding sunlight pierced through the slits. Jane must have flinched from the pain, because Lord Eldredge—having been lodged firmly against her left side—shifted slightly and raised her parasol into position to block the harsh rays of the late afternoon sun. At the same time, the duke jumped up from where he’d been settled against her right side to stand and block the light. Their combined efforts left her with little to
support her, and she slumped over before straightening herself.
Somerton frowned down at her, assuming his usual, stiff bearing. “Miss Matthews, when you’ve recovered sufficiently I’ll return you to Hardwicke House in my curricle.” He scowled at Lord Eldredge, seemingly goading him to challenge his edict. “Mama will wish to look after you after your fainting spell.”
“I can certainly escort her home, Your Grace. There’s no need for you to go to such trouble.” Then Eldredge apparently turned to Jane, his eyes wide as though he’d only just remembered she was present and could make her own decisions. “If, of course, you would prefer that, ma’am.”
“You would have her walk so soon? I’d thought better of you than that. Clearly, I was mistaken in my impression.”
She almost huffed in response, but thought better of it and decided to show a touch more decorum. “Why thank you, Lord Eldredge, but if it’s all right with the two of you, I would much prefer to continue our stroll. It is, of course, the reason we are out to begin with, isn’t it?”
The duke looked as though he wanted to argue with her further, so she sent him the same look his mother seemed to have perfected with him, an I-dare-you-to-challenge-me-on-this-and-promise-you-will-fail-in-your-endeavors sort of look.
After a short stare-down, he frowned. “Very well. I have more business to attend, as it is.” He climbed up into his curricle again before giving Lord Eldredge the full heat of his glare again. “You are responsible for her health and safety until such time as she is returned to my home. I trust you’ll give me no reason to call you out.”
Call him out? Good gracious, what was it with these men? “Your Grace—” she couldn’t resist placing the emphasis on the fussy title— “I’m certain that is the most asinine comment I’ve ever heard you utter.” Jane ignored his slack jaw and kept going before she lost the little bit of nerve she’d mustered. “I’ll be perfectly fine. Good day to you, sir.” She punctuated her words with a brisk nod before turning her back to him and facing Eldgedge again. “My lord, shall we begin again? I do believe His Grace was just leaving us for matters of far more import.”
When she regained the viscount’s arm, he snapped to attention. “Of...of course, Miss Matthews.” He inclined his head to the duke and then they were off.
The horses’ hooves guiding the curricle down the lane sounded behind them within moments, and Jane finally began to breathe again. The nerve of that man. Ooh, he certainly knew how to rile her temper. Blast. She hated letting him see how he’d gotten the better of her.
In silence, she and Lord Eldgedge drew nearer to the others meandering through the wooded areas of Hyde Park. Before they came within earshot of anyone though, her companion finally rediscovered his voice. “Ma’am, do you think it was wise to speak to His Grace in such a manner?”
Jane’s eyes nearly popped free from her head. Thankfully, he couldn’t see her mortification. Gracious, what a bumbling idiot she could be. She had gone and firmly planted her foot in her mouth again, hadn’t she? But it might be better to pretend ignorance, at least for the moment. “How do you mean, my lord?” When she turned to him, she batted her eyelashes in what she hoped was a passable impersonation of a disconcerted young miss.
His eyes widened in abject bewilderment. “Why, you called him asinine. I daresay, I have never heard a woman—nay, anyone—speak so plainly to the duke before.”
“Oh, dear. Have I just proven my gaucherie?” Perhaps if she had, then Eldredge might forget his silly infatuation with her and find some more suitable lady.
“Well, no.”
“No?” Jane’s hope plummeted to bury itself beneath her feet and halfway to the Orient.
“No. It may have been...well...a bit rash to speak with him so, but I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. I only wish I had had the gall to say so myself, rather than allow a lady to fight my battles for me.”
Several riders upon horseback trotted along the walkway they were traversing, and Lord Eldredge gently guided her to the side so they couldn’t come too close. He was being entirely too thoughtful, taking care of her fears before she had a chance to let them gain a head.
“I would hardly say I fought your battle, my lord. More spoke my mind when I would have done better to bite my tongue.” She sighed. “I’m afraid it’s a bad habit I’ve developed and cannot seem to break.”
“There are worse habits you could have,” he said with a laugh.
“Indeed.” Oh, good gracious. She simply must find a way to divert Lord Eldredge’s attentions, but it seemed everything she did only caused him to develop a more insistent tendre than before.
They walked along for several more minutes without speaking. Several groupings of fashionable people wandered around them, talking and laughing and gossiping in the warm afternoon sun amongst the landscaped walkways as canopies of trees draped overhead.
Rotten Row loomed in the distance, abounding with riders and carriages. Near the entrance to the Row, a young girl rode her mare alongside a gentleman, likely her father. The girl was riding sidesaddle, with her foot barely reaching the stirrup to keep her steady in the saddle.
“She is awfully young to be learning to ride, isn’t she?” Jane murmured, turning her enquiry to her escort.
“What was that, Miss Matthews?” he replied, glancing about distractedly before turning to engage a group of passersby. He never focused his gaze in the proper direction.
His lack of attention was maddening, particularly in a gentleman so intent upon convincing her to marry him. Not that she truly had a right to be annoyed with him, since she often lost track of what he was discussing, but that was beside the point. “That girl. Over there.” Jane pointed in the direction of Rotten Row where the riders all congregated.
Just then, however, the girl’s horse was spooked by some unknown movement nearby and took off at a breakneck run. Lord Eldgedge was involved in a conversation with some other gentleman, and he didn’t see the girl and her horse dashing wildly through the park.
“Oh, dear. Oh, drat, drat, drat.” Jane removed her hand from Eldredge’s arm and took a step toward the girl and her horse. Then she stopped. What on earth was she thinking? Jane couldn’t do anything about that beast any more than the girl could.
“Goodness,” Lord Eldredge said, finally coming up alongside her. “Someone ought to control that horse.” He shook his head. “That girl’s not ready to handle it.”
The monstrosity turned in their direction. Walkers dashed to either side of the lane, hurtling themselves out of the way.
At the screams of the girl and various ladies scattered throughout the park, the gentlemen riders finally took notice. They headed neck-or-nothing toward her, but there was simply no way they could reach her in time.
The horse reared back and nearly threw its young rider from the saddle. Nearly and not actually, only due to her small, booted foot being stuck in the stirrup. She hung upside-down, flopping about at the side of the creature as it rushed onward.
Panic clutched at Jane’s chest. “Oh, no. No, no, no.” Someone had to help that girl. She would be dreadfully hurt if she wasn’t helped down from that beast, and soon.
Lord Eldredge tugged at Jane’s arm, trying to pull her off to the side of the walkway and out of the wild animal’s path. “Come, Miss Matthews. We must move clear. Quickly.” He gave her one more tug, more forcefully this time.
“But that girl!” She took another cursory look about the park, fidgeting with the folds of her gown. No one would reach her in time.
No one.
No one but Jane.
She wrenched herself free from the viscount’s grasp and rushed toward the animal, even as it ran full-speed in her direction.
“Miss Matthews,” Eldgedge called out. His voice seemed distant and hollow as he stayed where he was, safely ensconced behind a hedgerow.
But she had to ignore him. She had to do something. Bloody useless men.
The horse charged straight for her, bu
t Jane didn’t slow. In fact, she might have even gained in speed, in trying to reach the girl in time. Just when she and the horse were about to run headlong into each other, it stopped and reared back again, whipping its head back.
Its nostrils flared wide with deep, snorting breaths. Jane fought to catch her own breath while she raised her hands up for it to smell. “There you go, girl. It’s all right. Calm down.”
She could have been speaking to herself. Or perhaps she was.
Once it stopped prancing, she gingerly reached up and took hold of the saddle to hold the beast still.
“Sweetheart? Miss, are you all right?” Jane couldn’t move around to free the girl’s ankle until she was sure the horse wouldn’t charge her again.
It sniffed at her, but seemed much calmer. So she moved to the side, smoothing her hands along the horse’s sweaty flanks as she went.
The girl had fainted, likely due to fear. Smart girl. She couldn’t imagine what had gotten into the child in the first place to convince her to mount the beast. Jane lifted her weight with one arm and used the other to untangle her ankle from the stirrup.
The horse nickered again. “We’re almost done here. Do please cooperate with me for just a moment longer.”
Drat, the buckle on the girl’s boot was caught. It wouldn’t budge. And the horse, while it had calmed considerably, was growing agitated with her attempts at freeing the girl. Once again, it pranced about and whinnied in displeasure at her awkward handling of it, whipping its head back and looking as though it was planning to rear back at any moment. Good gracious, what had Jane gotten herself into?
“Please. Oh, please just come free.”
She almost had the ankle loose after untwisting the stirrup, when a thunder of hooves came barreling down upon them. It frightened the horse, and then it did rear back, ripping the young girl free from Jane’s arms. The child flopped against horseflesh again.
A Lord Rotheby's Holiday Bundle Page 72