by Dawn Brower
“What held you up?” Lady Mary asked as if she hadn’t glared at Diana as Lord Northesk led her to the dance floor.
“I couldn’t be rude and tell him no,” Diana replied. “He’s a friend of the family.”
Lady Mary rolled her eyes. “A likely excuse. I’m not a fool—he’s the most eligible lord in attendance. You’ve decided try for him haven’t you?”
Diana didn’t feel like she should explain herself. Lady Mary could believe what she wanted. She didn’t owe the debutante a thing. They were not friends and they barely tolerated each other. She was a member of Fortuna’s Parlor and helped keep the club in the black. Other than that they didn’t need to socialize together. After this fencing match hopefully she wouldn’t feel the need to challenge another female. Bessie had Lulia as an instructor and the gypsy didn’t believe in holding back. If all went as planned Bessie would decimate Lady Mary in the match. Something Diana wasn’t to proud to admit that she rather looked forward to witnessing. “It doesn’t matter what I’ve decided to do. I’ve told you the truth. Take it and do what you will with it. Lord Northesk’s estate neighbors my father’s. That’s something easily verified.”
An unladylike snort erupted from her. “I’m sure it is.” Lady Mary slipped on a pair of gloves. “I’ll be sure to do as you suggest and make some inquiries.”
She hadn’t suggested anything of the sort… Diana took a deep breath. “Are you ready to slip into the garden?” The sooner they started the quicker she could be done with Lady Mary.
“Don’t I appear to be?” Lady Mary lifted a brow as disdain dripped from her voice. “Check to see if the hall is clear and then we can head to where the match is to take place.”
Diana opened the door and glanced out. There was no one there so she opened it wider and gestured for Lady Mary to follow her. Lady Mary was a full head taller than Diana. While Diana was average, Lady Mary was the beauty every male wanted to win. They couldn’t be more different if they tried to be.
They slid into the library. Inside there was a door that led out to the gardens and into the small maze that graced it. Everyone that was participating in the event had taken the time to become acquainted with the maze. At the center of it was where the fencing match would take place.
Lady Mary slipped out of the door first and Diana followed behind her. Darkness enveloped them and they disappeared into the maze. Not long after that they came to the middle and found Lulia and Bessie there along with the other two witnesses—Abigail Franklin and Lady Katherine Wilson. It was time for the match, and at the end it would decide the fate of both participants.
Let the match begin…
Chapter Four
The music echoed through the ballroom. Luther didn’t much care because he’d already danced with the only lady that mattered to him. Of course he’d scared her off and now he had to make amends to her somehow. Perhaps finding her after she visited the lady’s retiring room and apologizing would help. With that purpose in mind he’d followed her at a safe distance to await her exit from the room. But she didn’t go anywhere near the lady’s retiring room. Instead she’d gone down a hall and into a different room entirely.
He couldn’t discern what she was up to so he found a dark corner to wait for her to exit the room. When she did he couldn’t have been more surprised. She’d been in there with someone else—another male. He couldn’t make out who he was in the dark though. They went in the opposite direction of where he’d been hiding. It gave him the opportunity to follow. They exited the house and went into the garden maze.
His haze of drunkenness was starting to dissipate with each passing moment. His interest in Lady Diana went beyond curiosity now. He had always felt a need to protect her and he didn’t like that someone might be taking advantage of her. If he could stop whatever was about to happen then he would. She was acting recklessly and someone had to act in her best interest. Especially, if she wasn’t going to do it for herself…
Once they were in the maze he lost direct sight of them. The twists and turns of the hedges made it difficult to keep track of their movements, but there was really only one place they could be going—the center. It had a large open space and a fountain. Many lovers had sneaked inside the maze for a little time alone. He’d done it himself a time or two with a willing maid, and yes, that made him one of the wickedest of rogues, but he’d decided to be a better man. That had to count for something.
Luther kept his focus and continued to move through the maze with ease. He couldn’t see them, but the sounds of someone talking echoed back at him. At least he had some sign he was heading in the right direction. He paused when the clank of metal on metal reverberated through the maze. That couldn’t be a good sign… He rushed through the maze practically running to reach the center. His heart beat heavily in his chest and when he rounded the corner he stopped suddenly shocked by what he found.
There was definitely some metal on metal action. There was a fencing match in the middle of the maze. He had never seen anything like it. Oh, he’d witnessed a lot of fencing matches in his day, but nothing of this caliber. The person that he’d mistaken as a male was in fact, Lady Mary Addington. Lady Mary was engrossed in the match with another female that Luther didn’t recognize. He scanned the area. There were no males in the area. He counted six females total including the two fencing. Only one of the ladies interested him though. He stalked forward and headed in her direction. Once he was by her side he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “What exactly are you up to my lady?”
She froze in place—every one of her limbs stiff and unmoving. Lady Diana barely even breathed as she stared at the match. He’d expected more of a reaction than that. “What are you doing here Lord Northesk?”
That was something at least. “The more important question is what are you doing here?”
Lady Diana glanced over at him. Her voice had a cold edge to it as she spoke, “I apologize—are we interrupting plans you had for this particular spot? Should we be expecting one of your favorite lightskirts to join you at any moment?”
Sometimes he really hated the reputation he’d built since his father died. He’d made a lot of mistakes he regretted. “The only female I’m interested in is already here.”
She lifted a brow. “That’s fascinating.” Lady Diana looked back at the match. “Is it Lady Mary? She’s losing. If you wait long enough you might be able to spend some time with her.”
As if he would seek out Lady Mary… “I’d rather not. I’m far more intrigued by you and your part in this charade.”
She spun on her heels and faced him. “This is not a charade of any sort. We take fencing seriously and you should respect that. If you’re so against women fencing you can turn around and go back the way you came. I don’t need you here judging me or what I choose to do.”
“So you’re saying you fence too?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that. “Is this your gypsy friend’s influence?”
The moonlight highlighted her pale blonde hair and illuminated her soft blue eyes. Her lips were puffy from chewing on them and he had the insane desire to lean down and kiss her. He held back though. There would be plenty of time for kissing later—after she started to at least like him. The way she stared at him made him believe that she found him distasteful.
“Lulia is a wonderful friend and I won’t have you speaking ill of her.”
“But she is the one who taught you fencing?”
“That isn’t what matters.” Lulia shouted the end of the match. “If you’ll pardon me I have more important things to do.”
She didn’t give him the opportunity to speak to her again. Instead she walked over to Lulia and spoke to her and Lady Katherine. Lulia nodded and gathered the fencing gear. Lady Katherine, Lady Mary, and Lady Diana left the maze together.
Luther frowned as they walked away. They weren’t done with any of this. He would figure out what the point of this clandestine fencing match was all about, and if he had to continue to f
ollow her he would. So he left Lulia and the other two women alone in the maze and headed back to the ball. Lady Diana wasn’t going to run away from his questions that easily.
Diana couldn’t believe that Lord Northesk had showed up to the fencing match. At least it had gone quickly… Lady Mary had lost to Bessie as Lulia had predicted. All they had to do now was return to the club and settle the books. Lady Mary would do her part and make sure Bessie was paid. Bessie wouldn’t be in London long after that as she planned on buying a seaside cottage.
“Are we going to discuss what happened?” Lady Katherine asked as she tucked a stray lock of her midnight hair behind her ear.
Diana glanced at her friend and frowned. She didn’t want to acknowledge Katherine’s question. There was only one thing she could be referring to since the match had gone off without a hitch. The only unplanned thing was Lord Northesk’s unexpected appearance. He must have decided to follow her. There was no other reason for him to have come to the garden. Sure, she’d inferred he was meeting a lightskirt but when would he have had time to set up a meeting with one? He’d been with her from almost the moment he’d arrived at the ball. She couldn’t admit that though. It was far better to make him feel uncomfortable than to make any grand confessions of her own.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Diana replied. “The match went well. Narissa will be pleased with the results. Most people bet against Bessie and that means profits for Fortuna’s.”
“That isn’t what I meant, but you know that.” Her friend’s voice held a hint of amusement. “Do you have a suitor?”
“Of course not…” She didn’t know what Lord Northesk wanted. It couldn’t be her, and yet, it appeared as if it was. “It’s a coincidence he showed up. You know his reputation—he probably had a meeting of another kind.”
“You’re not fooling me,” Katherine told her. “Before I left the ballroom I saw him pulling you onto the floor for the waltz. He’s definitely interested in courting you. A man of his reputation as you mentioned wouldn’t do that with an innocent lady if he didn’t have honorable intentions.”
Diana wanted to believe her friends assumptions, but she couldn’t allow herself to get her hopes up. Lord Northesk had other plans and it was better she didn’t expect anything from him. He wasn’t about to change his profligate habits after one dance with her. “You’re seeing something that isn’t there.” Diana shook her head. “But that doesn’t matter. What does is returning to the club and updating Narissa.”
After that they traveled in silence until they reached the street where the modiste’s shop was located. Above that shop was Fortuna’s and the ladies gaming hell they were all members of. They went around the back to the door that went directly upstairs. She pulled it open and Katherine walked in ahead of her. She was about to follow her when someone grabbed her from behind. Diana opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out.
“I’m going to remove my hand from your mouth now. Please don’t make any loud noises.”
Diana wouldn’t do that. Now she was going to do something else. Like punch him in the stomach for scaring the hell out of her. What was wrong with the blasted man? After he removed his hand she spun around and glared at Lord Northesk. “Do you enjoy scaring women to death?”
“No more than you apparently want to die or be seriously hurt.” Lord Northesk glared back at her. “Do you not have any concern for your safety? It’s not wise to go out alone at night—or any time. Someone could attack and hurt you.”
She laughed almost maniacally. “You mean similar to you grabbing me as you did a moment ago?” He had a penchant for doing such things to her. She recalled another time when he’d done so at the county fair—she’d lost her noon meal then because of his carelessness.
“Well—yes…”
She didn’t have time for his nonsense and his sudden need to follow her everywhere she went. Katherine was probably already upstairs and talking with Narissa. It was late and Narissa would return home soon. Lord Northesk and his chauvinistic attitude could return where they came from. “I’m fine. You don’t need to protect me.”
“But…”
She placed a hand on his chest. “It’s nice of you to want to ensure I’m all right, but I’d prefer you don’t. I’ve managed to take care of myself this long.”
“All the same—I’ll walk with you home when you leave. Why are you at the modiste’s shop at this time of night?”
He wasn’t going to budge. Drat… “Late night dress emergency. Lady Katherine is waiting for me inside.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Why wouldn’t he go away? “Inside a modiste shop?” She lifted a brow. “That isn’t done. If you insist on staying you can wait here.” She couldn’t have him going upstairs to the gaming hell. That would lead to questions she didn’t particularly want to answer.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. It would be much better if I came indoors.”
“No,” she said. “Stay here or go home.”
With those words she spun on her heels and walked inside. She prayed he wouldn’t follow but with Lord Northesk there weren’t any guarantees. He seemed to do whatever he wanted. She hopped up the stairs as fast as possible. When she entered the room it was bursting with activity. Narissa was standing by her office discussing something with Katherine. Diana moved over to join them.
“I was about to go looking for you. What took you so long to come up?” She grinned. “Never mind I can easily discern what the delay was.”
Drat. “He followed me up didn’t he?”
“Unfortunately,” Narissa said, then frowned. “Take care of this before it becomes a problem.”
Diana sighed. “Regrettably it already has…” She turned to her two friends. “I’ll let you two finalize the results of the fencing match. Lord Northesk and I will exit before anyone else makes a fuss about him being here.”
“Enjoy your time with Lord Northesk,” Katherine said gleefully. “I believe it was me who mentioned first that he wanted to court you.”
“Oh, be quiet,” Diana said and then walked away. She had an earl to put in his place. If he didn’t leave her alone she wouldn’t have the freedom to run her fencing program with the club. That was not something she was willing to lose.
Chapter Five
Luther stared at the gaming hell. A bloody gaming hell—located above a modiste’s shop of all places. How in damnation had he not known it existed? The bigger question was how had Lady Diana become involved? He took a deep breath and then stepped toward her direction. He met her gaze as she moved toward him and met him half way.
“I asked you to wait outside.” Her mouth formed a straight line of disapproval. “This is a women’s only club. The owner isn’t happy you decided to take it upon yourself to gain admittance. You need to leave now.”
“No,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Then it’s your lucky night,” she said scathingly. “I’m leaving and you can follow me out.”
He didn’t care that she wasn’t happy with him in that moment. All that mattered to Luther was her safety. A gaming hell was no place for a lady even if it catered to women only. Someone had to shake some sense into her. Fencing matches, gaming hells—what was next? Horse racing? It terrified him in ways he couldn’t put into words. He’d been connected to her and her family in some way his entire life. He couldn’t make the feeling to keep her safe go away even if he wanted to. Even before he considered courting her he’d cared for her.
“Fantastic,” he replied. “Lead the way then. We can discuss your reckless behavior as I walk you home.”
She rolled her eyes and headed out of the club. He followed close behind her to make sure she didn’t change her mind and return. Not that he fully believed she would. She had to realize he’d just follow her back inside and if the patroness was unhappy seeing him there she’d be equally irritated to see him again. He was safe in assuming she’d not return that evening. I
t was the possibility of her returning another night that worried him.
“I don’t need you to walk me anywhere. I’m perfectly capable of finding my way home all on my own. I’ve been doing it for a while now.”
The more she talked the more he feared. How long had she been acting this recklessly? What could he do to steer her away from her current behavior? “Be that as it may I am still staying with you.”
“You’re being completely unreasonable.”
He didn’t care what she thought of him in that moment. In time she’d come to see how irresponsible she was being. She might even thank him for taking care of her later. All right, that might be taking things a bit far and may be a bit of wishful thinking on his part. He wouldn’t regret any of it though.
“Still coming with you,” he reiterated. “Even if you think you hate me for it.”
“There aren’t any doubts concerning my feelings toward you,” she replied. “At the moment I completely loathe you. Nothing you can say will change my mind.”
And she thought he was being unreasonable? He rolled his eyes. “In that case why don’t we make things more interesting?” He kept his pace with hers as they strolled down the street. Most of the ton were either home or still attending some ball or soiree. The seedier side of London was in full bloom and ready to do business. The gaming hell they’d left at least wasn’t near there.
“I’m almost afraid to ask…”
“No need to,” he deadpanned. “I’m willing to explain without any inquiries on your part.” As they were walking an idea formed in his mind. A sure way to secure her compliance was to raise the stakes. She wouldn’t like it. In fact, he could almost guarantee she’d hate it, but it would give her incentive to spend some time with him. That way he could win her over and find the charm he’d hidden from her thus far. “I’m going to call on you tomorrow. We’ll go for a drive on Rotten Row.”