Lillith blanched and her eyes held such a look of reproach that Madeline flushed bright red. ‘I am terribly sorry, Lillith, I did not… Oh, dear, I have made a muddle of everything.’
Lillith’s good manners rose to the fore. She forced a smile to her face and turned to her new guests. ‘Ravensford, Lady Ravensford, Perth, how delightful to have you join us.’
Ravensford’s eyes sparkled. ‘I cannot tell you how delighted we are to be here. A rare bit of luck to run into Russell in Hyde Park yesterday.’
Lady Ravensford’s eyes held sympathy. ‘I hope we are not too many. Men often don’t think of that sort of thing when they plan an outing, particularly when it is not their outing to plan.’
Lillith’s smile turned genuine. ‘Do not worry, Lady Ravensford. I asked Madeline to find some others to go with us. I am glad she found you.’
Some of the tension in the room eased.
Then Lillith shifted to greet Perth. His eyes were stark. She raised a hand to him, the pulse beating at the base of her throat.
‘Perth.’
‘Lady de Lisle.’
She forced a weak smile. ‘We must be leaving if we hope to have any time in the country,’ she said breathlessly, wishing she could resist him and knowing once again that she could not.
Without waiting for a reply, she swept from the room. The sooner she put some distance between her and Perth the better for her peace of mind—and heart.
She stood in the foyer, donning the heavy cape Simmons held when a sense of foreboding came over her. Looking up, she saw Mathias on the first-floor landing. He was watching her like a ferret watches a mouse.
He had spent the night. She thought that he was being dunned and could no longer afford his fashionable set of rooms in the Albany. But she did not know for sure. She did not ask and he did not tell.
‘Going out, Sister?’ For a man as heavy as he was, he moved lightly on his feet as he descended the stairs. ‘Did I hear Perth?’
Just then the rest of her party spilled into the foyer. Madeline and Lady Ravensford laughed at something Nathan was saying. Lord Ravensford, one auburn brow raised, looked at Mathias while Perth ignored her brother.
In a rush, Lillith said, ‘We are going for a picnic, Mathias. As you can see, we are a group.’
Instantly she regretted the last words. They sounded as though she sought to impress upon him the innocence of the situation, something that was no concern of his. At worst her words implied that there was a need for innocence, which then implied that there was more between her and Perth than she wished anyone to ever realise—especially Mathias.
Mathias stopped halfway down the stairs. His gaze swept over them and a sneer marred his face.
Perth’s heavy-lidded eyes were cold and deadly.
Apprehension chewed at Lillith. Something more had happened since the incident in her drawing room several days ago. She would have to find out from Mathias when she returned. Right now, she wanted to get her party out of here before the situation became ugly.
She rushed forward and took Madeline’s arm and pulled her out the door, hoping the others would follow. Outside, her coach waited. The Russells’ carriage, a high-perch phaeton done in hunter green, stood behind hers. Behind them was another phaeton done in ebony and bearing the Earl of Ravensford’s coat of arms. No other vehicles waited.
The tension created inside changed focus but remained. She turned and spoke without thinking. ‘Where is your carriage, Perth?’
His eyes caught hers. ‘I walked.’
‘What? I find that hard to believe.’
He shrugged and settled his curly-brimmed beaver on his head. ‘I find that after so long in Town, I need exercise. I walk a lot in the country. Besides, I live only a few streets away.’
‘How do you intend to accompany us? You have no carriage and both Nathan and Ravensford have phaetons that will only hold two.’
His eyes held hers. ‘I had hoped you would offer me transportation.’
‘No, no, that cannot be,’ Madeline said, stepping between them. ‘You must ride with Nathan, Perth. I will go with Lillith.’
Relief warred with disappointment. But what Madeline said was best. She might be a widow, but that did not give her carte blanche to be alone in a carriage with a man who was not her relative. It could be done, but should not be done with the rumour circulating about them, for his name was now being linked with hers.
Perth cast her one last smouldering glance before joining Nathan Russell in the phaeton. She and Madeline got into her carriage and the coachman whipped the horses into motion.
They passed quickly through London, the cobbles sounding loud through the West End and out into the country, Richmond their destination. Soon the phaetons passed them by.
‘I am so terribly sorry,’ Madeline said. ‘I did not know until it was too late that Nathan had invited Ravensford. Then for Ravensford to bring Perth.’ She reached for Lillith, only to withdraw her hand. ‘I am so sorry. I know you find his presence uncomfortable.’
Lillith smiled ruefully. ‘It does not matter, Madeline. I must learn to deal better with his company, but it is hard.’
She gazed at the countryside they passed. The trees had lost their leaves and the furrows in the fields were brown. November was here and the earth was going to sleep.
Many members of the aristocracy had homes in Richmond. It was an easy travelling distance if one went by water. De Lisle had a house there, which had gone to his heir, a distant nephew, who was not much older than Lillith. The new Lord de Lisle did not care much for her, having been against the marriage from the start. Still, they managed to maintain a distant relationship of tolerance.
‘Well, then,’ Madeline said, her voice perkier, ‘I can hope for the best. I still think you should accept his offer. ’Tis time you remarried.’
Lillith listened to her friend’s ramble, nearly choking on the last. ‘You would have me marry the Earl of Perth? A man who does not love me?’
Madeline shrugged, looking not a whit chastened. ‘He obviously cares for you. And there is the rumour already linking you to him. A marriage would soon scotch that.’
Lillith sighed. ‘Yes, there is the rumour,’ she said softly. ‘Somehow my disappearance has been linked to Perth and I don’t know why.’
‘Don’t you?’ Madeline raised one auburn brow. ‘Surely you dissemble, something you need not do with me.’
‘Why should my absence from my country house be instantly linked to Perth’s absence from Town? Either one of us could have been gone for any number of reasons not related to the other.’
‘You could. I agree. But no one believes it.’
‘Why?’ Lillith turned a puzzled face to her friend.
Madeline shook her head as though such a question had such an obvious answer that it was ridiculous that Lillith did not see it. ‘Because the two of you look at each other as though you are one another’s most coveted treasure. Everyone has seen it, and everyone has commented on it at one time or another. Many wonder when you will marry. Or, barring that, begin an affair. The disappearance is taken as the start of the affair.’
A soft gasp escaped Lillith. ‘Why have I not heard any of this?’
‘How should I know? Perhaps you have refused to hear what is being said.’ Her voice softened and she added, ‘But none of that really matters. You love him, you should marry him and be done with it.’
‘Perhaps,’ Lillith replied. There was much to consider here. ‘He does not love me,’ she added softly.
Madeline barely heard her friend’s last words and could not suppress a comment. ‘Vastly dramatic, but I think far from true.’
Hope surged in Lillith’s heart only to be ruthlessly suppressed. ‘He desires me,’ she murmured.
‘Oh, yes, he does that,’ Madeline said with a delightful shiver. ‘It must be infinitely exciting to have a man of his ilk want you. I would be ecstatic.’
Lillith laughed. ‘Now I know you jest. You are
madly in love with Nathan. No other man even catches your eye.’
Madeline shrugged. ‘As to that, no woman can totally ignore the Earl of Perth. He is so dangerous looking. One can imagine him abducting one and carrying one off without a thought for what anyone else might think. A rogue.’
‘Yes,’ Lillith said, ‘he is all of that and more. But as I have already told you, he does not love me.’ When Madeline opened her mouth to speak, Lillith held up her hand to stall her. ‘Desire is not enough. Not for me. I have had that before and it is a cold bedfellow.’
‘Oh, dear,’ Madeline breathed. She took Lillith’s unresisting hand in hers. ‘I am sorry. I did not think of that, only that where there is such burning desire surely love will follow.’
‘But not always,’ Lillith said bitterly. ‘Not always.’
The carriage slowed down and both stopped speaking. They were pulling on to a dirt side road and would soon be at their destination, a small hillside on Lillith’s late husband’s property. It was a charming respite from the buildings and the dirt and the soot of London. Lillith had often come here for peace. Today would be vastly different.
She said to Madeline, ‘We are here.’
Madeline nodded and let the previous subject die.
Soon they were all climbing out of their carriages and the servants were unloading the baskets of food. Blankets flapped in the wind and soon covered the dying November grass. No wildflowers greeted them, but a view of rolling countryside rewarded them for the journey. By evening it would be unbearably cold. As it was, Lillith’s adventure was truly that. The weak November sun warmed no one. They had come more for the company than the weather. Thankfully it was not raining, or worse, snowing.
Chapter Ten
Lillith found Perth sitting beside her on the blanket, her acute awareness of him warming her despite the day being cold and the sun weak. He poured her a cup of tea, even though a footman hovered nearby ready to serve. She took the cup, her fingers brushing his, and memories of the first time he had poured her tea flooded her senses. It had been during that coach ride. She flushed hotly as her mind continued to remember the rest of her abduction.
He seemed to know her thoughts. ‘We can have that again,’ he murmured, his voice husky.
She lowered her eyes from the intensity in his. ‘No, we cannot. And please…’ she lifted her free hand to keep him from speaking ‘…say no more. If for no other reason than that there are others around us.’
A grim smile twisted his mouth. His scar looked pinched. He rose and went to speak with Nathan Russell, who stood some distance away looking out at the surrounding fields.
Mary Margaret, Lady Ravensford, sat where Perth had. ‘He is a passionate man,’ she commented mildly.
Lillith gave her a bland look.
‘Sometimes you must do what your heart tells you, not what your head cautions,’ Mary Margaret said gently. ‘Believe me, I know that is not easy.’
‘Thank you,’ Lillith said. But she did not want to talk about this with her. ‘Have you been here before?’
Lady Ravensford took the hint and followed. Madeline soon joined them and the three discussed the latest on dits with relish. Shortly the gentlemen joined them and organised pandemonium set in as the footmen served the food on specially packed china and silver. Crystal goblets filled with champagne. Laughter filled the chilled air.
‘To Lady de Lisle and her fantastic entertainments,’ Ravensford said, raising his glass.
‘Yes,’ everyone else added, following his lead.
Lillith laughed with delight, only to feel Perth’s gaze on her. Drawn inexorably, she looked at him. He raised his glass to his lips and drank, his attention never wavering from her.
‘To Lady de Lisle,’ he finally said, his glass empty.
There was an expectant pause, almost as though the others felt momentary embarrassment at witnessing something too private. Shivers chased down Lillith’s spine.
Against all sense of self-preservation, she was drawn to Perth as a moth to the flame that would destroy it. She gathered all her strength of will and looked away from him. She must return to the country soon or she would be lost.
The next afternoon Lillith found herself riding in Hyde Park in spite of the cold weather and her own exhaustion. Somehow she had allowed Mathias to talk her into this outing. They had argued when she had questioned him about the increased hostility between him and Perth. Mathias said it was nothing. She knew better.
Today, they were in a small group of three men, another woman and Lillith. The other female was Lady Annabelle Fenwick-Clyde, the twin sister of Viscount Chillings. Lillith had just met her this day.
Like her brother, who also rode with them, Lady Annabelle had prematurely grey hair and eyebrows dark as the night. She was elegantly slim in a hunter-green riding habit and dashingly fashionable in a matching military-style hat. Her blue eyes sparkled and her wit was acerbic. Lillith found her very entertaining.
‘Oh, look,’ Lady Annabelle said, ‘the Earl of Perth. I have heard he is a devil with the ladies and a military hero.’ She prodded her brother with her riding crop. ‘Do call him over here, Chillings, for I don’t doubt that you are acquainted with him.’
The Viscount gave a long-suffering sigh. ‘There are times like now when I wish you had not returned from Cairo, Belle.’
The lady laughed heartily and winked at Lillith. ‘I am such a trial to him.’ She slanted a glance at Mathias’s portly figure and frowning face. ‘Something I am sure you are never to Mr Wentworth.’
Lillith looked at Mathias and fought the urge to tell him he looked like he had swallowed a lemon whole. After all, this outing and the people they were with had been his plan. Instead, she said demurely, ‘I try not to be a bother. There are always repercussions I would rather not face.’
Lady Annabelle gave Lillith a sharp look but said nothing.
The third man of the party, Mr Carstairs, moved closer to Lillith and said, ‘I cannot believe that you are ever trouble.’
Lillith smiled graciously and hoped that Perth noted the ruggedly handsome man who sat his horse so well. It would do Perth good to know that other men found her attractive. It would do her more good if she found someone attractive besides the Earl. This longing for someone she could not have for anything more than a surcease of passion had to stop.
Mr Thomas Carstairs was an East India Company nabob recently returned to England. His hair was bleached blond by the Indian sun and his face was burned a swarthy golden brown. His teeth shone blindingly white when he smiled, and the skin around his piercing blue eyes crinkled. A very handsome man.
Lillith sighed internally. Too bad he did not make her blood boil and her pulse pound. A hint of cinnamon floated on the cold November air. Perth was near.
She turned her head in his direction as nonchalantly as she could, when the urge to feast her eyes on him was nearly overpowering. It seemed that she had not seen him for longer than she could bear, although she had last been with him yesterday.
‘Did I see you summon me over, Chillings?’ Perth asked with cool composure.
The Viscount laughed. ‘My sister wants to make your acquaintance. Englishmen are a novelty where she has been the last two years and so far she cannot get enough of meeting her countrymen.’
Perth looked at Lady Annabelle and his eyes lit with appreciation. ‘My pleasure to help a lady in distress. I am Perth.’
The lady held out her gloved hand and smiled so that a dimple showed in her left cheek. ‘I am Annabelle Fenwick-Clyde, Chillings’s twin sister.’
Lillith watched the exchange with distress. Lady Annabelle was a handsome woman with intelligence and wit; qualities Perth admired. The lady also did nothing to hide her interest in the Earl. Lillith bit the inside of her cheek to keep from saying something, anything, to break the awareness between the two. She was spared further discomfort.
‘Lady de Lisle, would you care to race to that large tree by the Serpentine?’ Mr Carst
airs asked.
Fearful that she could not keep her sense of gratitude out of her voice, she nodded and spurred her mare forward. It was not something she would have normally agreed to, but for the instant the freezing wind in her face was like a much-needed slap of cold common sense. Perth’s flirting with Lady Annabelle was to be expected and another reason she would not marry for convenience.
She and Mr Carstairs arrived at the tree breathless. Her black velvet hat with its white ostrich plume had tilted too far back during her dash and threatened to fall. She steadied her mount and reached up to better secure the hat.
‘Let me,’ Mr Carstairs said. ‘After all, I am the cause for its precarious position.’
It was an offer she had not expected and was not prepared for. Mr Carstairs edged his large grey gelding close to her mare and leaned towards her, his hands reaching for her head. He smelled of sandalwood and the cold, both pleasant but neither exciting. When his shoulder brushed hers, she felt nothing, neither discomfort nor anticipation. Nothing.
She thought he might have lingered longer than absolutely necessary on straightening her hat, but she was not sure. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured, smiling at him as she backed her mare away.
He grinned, his strong white teeth so appealing. ‘My pleasure. Any time.’
The look in his blue, blue eyes and the inflection of his voice hinted that many things would be his pleasure to do with her and for her. Still she felt no excitement. She did not even blush.
She had barely put distance between them before the rest of the party caught up. She ignored Perth’s obvious irritation at something, probably her, and turned to Mathias. ‘Is it not time for us to return home? I believe you have a meeting later this afternoon.’
Her brother scowled at her. ‘We have time enough for another canter around the park.’
She thought about arguing, but the set of her brother’s shoulders told her that he would be obstinate. Her reluctance would only cause a scene. ‘As you wish,’ she murmured, angling her horse away from Mr Carstairs.
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