by Boom, Naomi
That caught him off guard. “What do you mean?”
“If you insist on putting me in compromising positions, I might end up married to you.”
He laughed. He could not help himself. “That would be disastrous. I have no plans to marry, you know.”
Her eyes were expressive, and he could understand what she meant before she actually spoke. “I share the same sentiment. While I do wish to marry, I do not wish to marry you.”
“We are in agreement then.”
“Yes, but the question remains, why did you accost me then? Or partner with me for this forsaken scavenger hunt?”
He quirked an eyebrow and looked at her haughtily. She was bringing this on herself, after all. “I must find some form of diversion at this party.”
Laura gasped loudly, turned, and began to walk away.
Gavin’s stomach clenched as he was assuaged with guilt. He should be patting himself on the back for fulfilling his friend’s request, but instead he only wished to bring the smile back to her face. He called after her, and tried to repair the damage he had just done. “Laura, stop. It is not like I planned on this happening. Let us just continue to look for the clue.”
“Fine,” she said sharply, and paused long enough to allow him to catch up. She accepted his arm, and they continued to search. Next to a different entrance, a footman stood holding a silver platter. “Thank goodness we had not entered the maze. Think what a waste of time that would have been.”
Gavin made no response, and she continued to speak. “You know, I have quite the disastrous sense of direction, so I avoid mazes generally.” Again he remained silent, and she continued. “Growing up, my father kept one of the best stables in all of England. I naturally had an adorable pony that I named Bessie, who I would ride around the estates with a groom trailing after me.”
Gavin interjected, “You named your pony Bessie? Is that not a name reserved for a milk cow?”
Scowling, she responded, “Well yes, but I was young and had not quite understood what I was doing when I named her. But names aside, that poor groom always had to follow me on my adventures. One day I snuck away without my groom and found myself utterly lost.”
He was strangely engrossed in her story. Normally, he would find a tale such as this repulsive, but watching her speak so animatedly was captivating. “Well, what did you do?”
“Remember now, I was very young and soon found myself hungry, so I simply lay down on a grassy knoll and waited for help to arrive while taking a nap. When they finally found me, Father was most displeased and would not let me ride Bessie for two weeks. Ever since that day, I am always forced to ride with a groom.”
Quirking an eyebrow, Gavin put two and two together, “So basically every time you ride alone you get into trouble?”
“More or less. I told you I am a very good rider, but I have rather unfortunate luck.”
He chuckled and picked up the next clue. Reading it out loud, he said, “Where the sun brings forth life.”
Laura wrinkled her brow. “The gardens maybe?”
“I was going to suggest the orangery. I saw one located near the library.”
“Yes, that does seem more likely. Shall we?” Gavin held out his arm. Laura accepted, and they walked along the pebbled path leading to the front door.
Not knowing why, Gavin decided to share with Laura his own memories best forgotten. “I also had a similar story from boyhood, except instead of getting lost, I was thrown from my pony very far away from the house. At least, it seemed very far to me back then.”
Violet eyes wide, Laura listened with avid interest as he continued, “I imagine the grooms alerted my father when my pony finally made it back to the stables, and they sent out a search party. I remember being very cold and relieved when I finally saw help coming to get me. They brought me home to the welcoming arms of Mother, and I was so happy. Later, my father sent for me and gave me a thrashing to the point I could not sit a horse for a week.” He had hated his father. Always ready to mete out punishment but never willing to give praise.
“That is horrid!” Laura exclaimed passionately. “How old were you?”
“I think I was four or five at the time. He said I needed to toughen up and be a man. Men do not get thrown from their horses. The thrashing did the trick though. I never was thrown from a horse again.”
Laura’s hand was at her mouth. “You were just a little boy. How horrid.” She exhaled softly as her hand pressed compassionately in to his arm. “Was he kind otherwise?”
“He usually was not so harsh. Normally, he just ignored me entirely. Mother was always the loving sort. I would say she tried to make up for his lack of interest by smothering me.” Gavin had not intended to say so much, so he switched topics. “Why did Miss Ashford not accompany you on your rides? I thought you two grew up together.”
Her eyes were filled with sadness. “Eleanor did not like to ride. We always rotated which house we were at. Mother passed away when I was very young, so Father thought it best I stay with Eleanor and her family. Summers were typically spent at my father’s, and the rest of the year at her parents’.”
“That must have been trying, to not have your father around.”
“Yes, but I knew no different. He ensured I had my horses around, you know. Bessie came with me when I went to Eleanor’s, but I rarely could convince Eleanor to join me on my ride. Right about the time we reached fifteen, Eleanor decided that riding horses was an important skill for a lady and then would come riding with me. I had naturally moved past Bessie at that point to a mare named Cleopatra. She was a wonderful mare.”
“At least you chose a semi-appropriate name for that horse.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I had been under the impression that your cousin loved to ride.” She had told Lord Collins she did, at least.
“Oh, do not misunderstand me, Lord Farris. She does not mind riding. It is just not her favorite pastime.”
He would definitely have to mention the little tidbit about Miss Ashford to Lord Collins, in passing, of course. He could tell that Laura was holding back about her cousin, so maybe Gavin should suggest Lord Collins escort the lovely Miss Ashford on a trip to the stables.
Their conversation ceased as they entered the house. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimly lit interior, and Gavin had begun to escort Lady Laura toward the orangery when she abruptly called out, “Hello! How is your scavenger hunt progressing?”
Miss Somers appeared inordinately pleased to see Laura. “We are doing fairly well. We just finished with the stables. What clue are you working on?”
“We are lagging behind a bit but are headed to the orangery.”
A pitying look appeared on Miss Somers’s face when she heard what clue they were on. “You truly must be terrible at these things. There is no chance we will win, so did you two want to join us?”
Laura looked at Gavin, who was more than happy to join the others, and then nodded to Miss Somers. “Who is in the lead? Do you have any idea?”
“We are not positive, but it seems like we are always two steps behind Lord Collins and Miss Ashford. There very well could be more couples farther advanced than them, but we have not seen any.”
“Hmm,” she muttered a touch bitterly. “Miss Somers, let me introduce you to Lord Farris.”
Bowing low, he briefly kissed the back of her hand and said, “What a delight it is to meet you, Miss Somers.”
Miss Somers blushed and curtsied, all while staring at Lord Farris as though she wanted to eat him. After a long pause, Laura cleared her throat.
“Oh, I am sorry,” Miss Somers said, having forgotten herself. “Lady Laura, this is Lord Deering.”
Laura curtsied prettily. Lord Deering bowed over her hand and said, “I have been waiting to be introduced to you, Lady Laura. I am honored.”
While she smiled and murmured a polite response, Gavin was annoyed. Lord Deering could not have been more obvious about his interest in Laura, and Gavin did
not like it. “Where did you say we were headed, Miss Somers?”
“Well, our clue is ‘where one thing fills while another empties.’ Which we concluded must be the dining room. Shall we continue on our way then?” When no one disagreed with Miss Somers, she hurriedly latched on to Lord Deering and led the way for their little party.
Another clue awaited them in the dining room. Lord Deering picked it up and read in a pleasant voice, “Where unwed couples are encouraged to maintain close proximity.”
Laura was quick to hazard a guess. “I am going to guess the ballroom.”
Everyone was in agreement and had begun their journey to the ballroom when they heard a bell ringing from the foyer. “How unfortunate,” exclaimed Miss Somers. “The game must be finished.” The couples switched directions and entered the foyer to the sight of Lady Songfeld standing next to Lord Collins and Miss Ashford.
Lady Songfeld waited until several more couples filtered in and announced that the winners were unsurprisingly Lord Collins and Miss Ashford. She then proceeded to hand the pearl earbobs to Miss Ashford as Lord Collins jovially said, “Oh no, Lady Songfeld, I cannot possibly accept the earrings. Give them to Miss Ashford in my stead.” This produced a chuckle from the guests, and Lady Songfeld invited everyone to return downstairs for dinner at a later time.
Gavin needed the break. He ought to check in with Lord Collins, away from Laura. He was not sure why he had decided to share one of his most intimate stories from childhood with her. It was those damn eyes that had induced him to trust her with information that he had never told anyone else. She somehow managed to get past his defenses, and it was not good.
****
Laura had almost started to ascend the stairs to her room when Allison asked, “Laura, I do not mean to impose, but would you be willing to meet with me in private?” Naturally she was, and the two ladies were soon ensconced in Laura’s bedchamber with a pot of tea and some biscuits.
Allison demurely poured her tea as her cheeks heated. “Now that you have met Lord Deering, you must tell me your opinion of him.”
“Well, I cannot say that I know anything about him, other than what you have told me previously.” She literally had just met him for the first time an hour ago.
“Yes, but you have a first impression of him, so what is it? Do you think he would be a good catch?” Somehow her blush seemed to intensify as she added, “For me?”
The sweet girl was clearly in love, so Laura tried to be as uplifting as possible. “Allison, he seems like an extremely nice gentleman. Good looking, considerate, and he must be at least somewhat intelligent judging by how well you two did in the scavenger hunt. How is he circumstanced?” She might as well try to be the voice of reason, although love could make up for plenty of faults.
“He is not as rich as Lord Farris or Lord Collins, of course, but I have been told he is very comfortable. There is just something about him that makes my heart pound and causes me to fear leaving his side. Do you think he is interested in me?”
Laura could not say for sure, so went with the positive choice. “Well, he did choose you as a partner for a reason. He must at least find you more appealing than Miss Cannis. I can try talking to him for you if that would help?” As an optimist, Laura felt assured he would feel the same for Allison.
“That is true. He did choose me over Miss Cannis, but that does not mean he likes me. Maybe it would be for the best if you found out if there was anyone he was interested in. Do not be too obvious that I sent you, though.”
“That should not be a problem,” reassured Laura. “I will simply try to get to know him and very naturally bring you up in the conversation. That should do the trick.”
The two shared the tea service and were chatting nicely when Allison decided to bring up the topic of Lord Farris again. “How was he as a partner? Is he as charming as everyone says?”
Laura had been doing a tremendous job of avoiding thinking of him until Allison asked her about the scavenger hunt. Lord Farris had a tendency to say things to her that made her irrationally angry, but at the same time, she enjoyed being in his presence. He was a rake, but he appeared to have a soft side. Overall, she felt she was softening toward him, but she knew she should not. “He is very charming when he wants to be, and he performed his duties as partner satisfactorily. I have no complaints, except he seems to act a bit brutish sometimes.”
“Oh, how so?” Allison asked with wide eyes.
Laura tried to be vague. Examples were completely unnecessary. “He just imposes his will on people, whether they want it or not.”
“How exciting. I like a man who knows what he wants. He is just such a handsome gentleman, probably one of the most handsome men of the ton.”
Laura was not as impressed by Lord Farris’s commandeering ways, but she had to admit there was something very appealing about him when he simply took what he wanted without caring what others thought. “So is Lord Deering a man who knows what he wants?” It was always safer to redirect the conversation away from her.
With a slight giggle, Allison blushed and said, “You must not tell anyone, but he kissed me during the scavenger hunt!”
“What! Why did you not say anything sooner? And why do I need to talk to him if he already kissed you?” Laura was truly happy for Allison. She looked so blissful.
“For all I know, he is the sort that goes around kissing every woman. Like Lord Farris. I hear he kisses a lot of women.”
Allison had brought up yet another reason for Laura to act warily around Lord Farris. She was just one of many to him, and as he said previously, she was something to keep him from boredom. Yes, she ought to avoid him, but that seemed increasingly unlikely, and how was she to say no when she knew he had such a chivalrous side? “Well, you can count on me to try to ferret out your gentleman’s feelings. We will start immediately at dinner tonight.”
****
Gavin was about to enter the library where he assumed Lord Collins would be when a footman materialized with a silver platter bearing a letter. “For you, my lord.”
“Thank you.” Gavin waved the footman away and glanced down curiously at the missive. His sister, Alexa, had apparently figured out he was in attendance. He entered the library and observed Lord Collins with Miss Ashford and her chaperone, Mrs. Westfield. Poor Lord Collins was constantly under scrutiny, and ironically, Laura was the one who had needed the chaperone. “Good afternoon,” he stated to the room.
“Oh, good afternoon, Gavin. How has your day been going?” Lord Collins asked with genuine interest. Gavin had not been seeing as much of his friend lately, and he did not like it. If Lord Collins married, how often would he see him then?
“It has been invigorating touring the manor and surrounding areas. Congratulations on the win, Miss Ashford. I trust the earbobs were worth the effort?”
Miss Ashford visibly brightened under his attention and showcased her ears sporting the new earrings. “Can you not tell? They are glorious.”
Mrs. Westfield agreed cheerfully. “They could not look better on anyone else. I knew those two would win. Did I not say that very thing before the hunt began?”
Gavin could tell Lord Collins was exasperated by the chaperone as his friend said, “You most certainly did, Mrs. Westfield. Gavin, who wrote to you?”
Poor man. His friend was constantly monitored. It was much easier to woo a woman when unchaperoned. “My sister Alexa wrote. I have not had a chance to read it yet.” He opened the letter and scanned the contents, after which, he paraphrased for the group. “It appears she has started to prepare for her upcoming season, procuring dresses and such. Mother is shocked I am at this house party, and Alexa sends her regards to you, Lord Collins. She expects you to dance with her at her come-out ball.”
Gavin could have sworn he saw Miss Ashford’s ears perk up as he read the letter. She asked indifferently as she paged through a book, “I had no idea you had a sister, my lord. Have you known her long, Lord Collins?”
&nb
sp; Lord Collins waved his hand dismissively. “Of course, she is like a little sister to me. I did, after all, basically grow up with Gavin and Alexa.”
“I will have to respond and alleviate my dear sister’s concerns. She thinks someone has blackmailed me into being here. She must forget I attend this house party every year.” He typically kept away from events such as these, and he understood his sister’s confusion. Gavin pilfered a piece of paper, pen, and an inkwell from a writing desk and started to compose a letter. “I take it you send your regards?”
“But of course. Tell her I will even spare her two dances if she should wish,” responded Lord Collins kindly.
Gavin nodded and continued to compose the letter for several minutes. At the end, he signed with a flourish, folded the letter, and placed it in his pocket to send out later.
Miss Ashford and Lord Collins sat reading in companionable silence. When Gavin finished, Miss Ashford looked up from her book and began to converse. “I do look forward to meeting your sister, Lord Farris. You must tell me more about her.”
“Well, my mother ensured she is quite accomplished. She speaks French and Italian fluently, plays the pianoforte, and does all manner of ladylike things without compare, or so I am told.” Gavin poured a couple fingers of brandy, swirled it around, and took a sip while fixedly watching Miss Ashford. He had no idea if his sister did half the things he listed, although his pocketbook would suggest she did. Her tutors had not been cheap. He listed her possible accomplishments to see how Miss Ashford would react. Evidently, she reacted very interestingly.
“Does this paragon do anything poorly?” she asked coldly. Gavin could see she was jealous, but could Lord Collins? “I am sure I could be a great deal of help to your sister should she have need of it.”
He doubted that very much. After all, Laura was still unmarried. If Miss Ashford was offering the same sort of help to his sister that she gave her cousin, he would prefer to refuse that help. “I am sure I will mention that to Alexa.”