by Boom, Naomi
“That hardly signifies, Mother,” Eleanor said woodenly. “I seem to have a megrim. Excuse me.”
She departed, and Lady Ashford muttered, “What a horrid day this has been.” She grimaced and rose. “I too shall retire for a while.”
Laura was left all alone. She had abhorred the thought of this day’s events and was surprised they were over so quickly. Eleanor seemed subdued, so would likely behave henceforth regarding Miss Farris. Now Laura would just have to decide who she would attempt to marry this time.
****
The following morning, Laura rode to Hyde Park and met Lord Farris in the same location as the previous day. “Good morning,” she greeted.
“Good morning.” Lord Farris’s welcoming smile acted as a balm to Laura’s heart. Somehow it always worked to calm her. At least, when he was not aggravating her. “Did you miss me?”
She laughed. “I just saw you yesterday, and even that was not long enough.” She joked, but in all honesty she was always missing him.
“Well, I missed you,” he replied seriously.
Laura’s heart skipped a beat. “Do not be ridiculous.” She began to ride. “Yesterday went fairly smoothly.” Eleanor had stayed locked in her room the rest of the day, and Lady Ashford decided to stay in for the night, although Laura had not minded their absence one iota.
“Yes,” he responded grimly. “Unfortunately, Lord Collins did not take it so well. After we visited, he departed for the country.”
“I feel sorry for him, but he is better off. Miss Ashford is incapable of love. It is just unfortunate it took so long for him to see it,” Laura stated in a matter-of-fact manner. After all, it was just Eleanor’s nature.
“Agreed.” Lord Farris paused. “You know my sister still wants you to attend her come-out ball. She will be quite upset if you are not there.”
“I am sure we will still come, if you are sure your sister shall not mind Miss Ashford’s presence. My cousin must continue to circulate amongst the ton in order to save face. Once people know Lord Collins has departed, they will come up with all manner of gossip about her, unless she acts strong.”
Gavin nodded. “She is a necessary evil, I understand.”
“Yes, well, Lady Ashford thinks it wise if we allow Eleanor a day or two to recover, so we will be staying in until your sister’s ball.”
“Of course. A couple of days will be good for her, I am sure. I hope to see you still on our morning rides.”
“Speaking of which, I recently became aware of a very strange interaction my maid had with a footman.” She paused. Here was yet another person with more schooled features than herself. She could not even tell with any certainty that Lord Farris had heard the words she imparted. “It would seem a viscount bribed my maid for information on my riding habits.”
His tone was banal as he said, “It must have been some other viscount.”
Laura looked at him skeptically. “Right.” She tapped her chin softly and appeared lost in thought. “Although Lord Dunbar would not bother bribing my maid, and you magically appeared the morning after the event transpired.”
He smiled evasively. “I guess we will just never know. How did your talk with Lord Dunbar go?”
Bloody aggravating man. “It went well enough.” She brightened as she said, “I even managed to inform him of Lady Robbins’s love for him.”
“I wonder what will come of that bit of information.” His tone suggested he did not actually care.
Laura beamed at him. “I wonder also. I hope they will be very happy and end up married.” Her smile turned to a self-satisfied look. “Naturally, it will all be due to my timely intervention.”
“You mean the intervention you were forced into?”
She glared at him. “We will simply forget that part of the story.”
Lord Farris chuckled and stated patronizingly, “Of course we will.” They continued to ride for a while in amiable silence until he brought up another important topic. “I hear your father has come to London.”
Laura had not realized he was in town. “I would not know. He rarely tells me anything.” Her countenance darkened. “I knew he would come to London eventually. I am sure if there was anything important he would tell me.”
“Does he not check in on you?”
“Not usually, but he really is a good father. He ensured I received the best education, best clothing, and everything else I could ever desire. I have no reason to complain.”
Lord Farris glanced at her skeptically. “Obviously, things like that are important, but a father’s love is more important than any material good he can provide. Believe me, I know the pain of a father who did not care.”
Glancing over at him, Laura could see he truly commiserated with how she felt. She always hated to say anything disparaging about her father, especially when he had done so much for her. He had provided, but she always wished she had the sort of father who doted on her or even wanted her around instead of sending her to her aunt’s. Lord Farris looked at her, and they shared a mutual understanding.
She scrambled to think of some other topic of conversation. “Would you do me a favor?”
Lord Farris raised his eyebrow questioningly.
“You should think of potential suitors to replace Lord Dunbar. I need all the help I can get, you know.” She smiled charmingly at him, hoping to entice him into aiding her. She was exceptionally proud of herself for her outward show of indifference to Lord Farris.
He appeared to freeze briefly, until his visage was transformed by a dark smile. “I know of the perfect gentleman for you.”
She pulled up on her reins and stopped her horse beneath the branches of an oak tree. She lifted an eyebrow and asked with bated breath, “Oh?”
He nodded. “Yes. He is charming, titled, wealthy, and you are particularly fond of him.”
Laura was puzzled. Who could he possibly mean? Her heart stilled, and her pulse began to race. He could not be speaking of himself, could he? She shuttered her eyes and looked into his. It was too good to be true, and she should not get her hopes up. “Who could you possibly know that fits such a description, my lord?”
His dark brown eyes bore into her, and he said, “Oh, I think you know.”
“Then tell me.” Please, get her out of this misery.
“Me.” He exhaled the word, and Laura almost did not believe she had heard him.
“What?” she asked sharply.
The corners of his lips twitched, but he said somberly, “I had thought the answer obvious. You should marry me, Laura.”
“What happened to your hatred for marriage?” She could not believe her ears. He must be toying with her, again, but this time the game was painful.
He scowled. “I wish we were not riding horses right now. In fact, this was terribly poor timing on my part.”
“And what exactly did you have planned, my lord?” Laura’s tone grew frigid. Her mind began to connect the dots. He was a rakish scoundrel who had kissed her at every opportunity. Now, he suddenly expressed a desire for marriage that defied his previous sentiments, but he should have planned it better? She had not thought he was the sort to deflower innocents, yet the evidence was pointing in that very direction.
“I planned on holding your small hand in mine and kissing your soft lips. Then, I would get down on one knee and ask you to be mine.”
He had whispered his romantic words softly and promptly melted Laura’s heart. She steeled her resolve and ignored the way her heart shriveled within her. He could speak all the words he wanted, but they would not change the fact that she knew he was opposed to marriage. However, all her resolve could not hold back the burning hot tear that escaped from her eye. “I do not believe you, my lord.”
He stilled, and all the emotion was erased from his face. “What do you mean, you do not believe me?”
Laura said numbly, “One does not simply do an about-face when he despises marriage the way you do.” She placed her hand on her hip and asked defi
antly, “What did you truly have planned? Did you wish to seduce me and leave? Is that why you continued to plague me after the house party? To finish what you started?” It all was so very clear now.
His hand ran through his hair. His eyes showed their frustration, and he asked hoarsely, “What must I do to prove myself to you? I want nothing but the best for you, Laura.”
And therein was the crux of the matter. She did not know how he could prove it. She shook her head. “I do not know if you can. I think I must go.”
She turned her horse and brought the mare to a gallop. She knew he could catch her if he tried, but he was evidently allowing her to run away. The tears began to flow as she rode. She was just too confused right now. Could he truly want marriage? Despite all the things he said?
The tears had dried by the time she arrived home. She would sequester herself in her room for the remainder of the day, but her desire was soon shattered. Eleanor was on the warpath.
“I know if Miss Farris had not been such a horrible harridan I would be getting engaged to Lord Collins,” she stated as she threw herself on Laura’s bed, just as Laura was changing out of her riding habit.
Laura regarded her numbly. Why was this even an issue at this point? She spoke flatly to Eleanor. “I feel the matter is settled. You cannot retaliate against her without earning repercussions from one of the biggest gossips of the ton. Why not focus on finding a new gentleman? Who is a worthy catch at this point?”
“There are some promising leads, but now that we are competitors, I think I will have to keep their names a secret,” Eleanor said unhelpfully. “Although truth be told, you are not much competition.”
Laura archly asked, “Then why not tell me who you think are the best catches?”
“Very well. There have been rumors that the Duke of Waking has recently returned from the continent. People do not know much about him, but he may be an even better catch than Lord Collins. I personally do not believe we will see him this season, so I ruled him out. After that, there is a very old earl whom I will be setting my cap for, so do not even attempt to try to capture his interest. Lord Farris is still available, but you will not have much luck there.” She paused as she thought of other gentlemen. “You could always steal Lord Deering from Miss Somers or instead go after an almost equal catch in Lord Harding.”
The options were seemingly endless, yet Laura could not recount any of the names Eleanor had just spoken. Her mind was too full, and a strange humming had developed in her brain.
Eleanor continued to speak loudly, unaware of Laura’s turmoil. “Now then, we must decide where to go two nights from now. We were to attend the harridan’s come-out ball but now must decide on a different location.”
Laura’s heart sank. She had promised Miss Farris she would attend. She spoke off-handedly and effectively hid her feelings. “I thought we should still go to Miss Farris’s come-out. You would not want people to think it odd you are not in attendance. Also, most of the eligible gentlemen will be at that ball.” Laura did not look at Eleanor, instead looking at the design on her bedding.
Eleanor tilted her head, lost in thought. “Yes,” she said slowly, “I do believe you are correct. Are you sure we will be welcome?”
Laura nodded. “Yes. Miss Farris expressed her desire for our attendance, despite the slight altercation.”
“All right, I will inform Mother of our plans.” She paused on her way out of the door to look in the mirror, saying as if in a trance, “I will be a countess, just you wait.”
****
The following day was dreary and wet. Allison had kindly sent over an invitation to accompany her to Bond Street, which was why Laura was waiting to go out in the rain. She would have vastly preferred to remain in her room, but some fresh air would do her good, seeing as she refused to ride. She was not ready to see Lord Farris yet, and she would not be ready until she had come to a decision on his intentions.
All she knew was he was purportedly a rake, and there must be reason that title was thrown around. All his kind gestures did not change the fact that he was a degenerate and had led Lord Deering into a similar lifestyle as well. For now, she had determined he could not be trusted, and many tears later, she still felt the same way.
Allison’s carriage stopped in front of the townhouse, and Laura rushed out. The ride to Bond Street was short, and when they arrived, the ladies were amazed at the number of people out shopping. The decision was made to shop and then grab a bite to eat when the restaurants were less busy.
Laura and Allison entered a store and began to peruse a plethora of ribbons. Laura selected a few and asked the shop keeper to wrap them for her. As she waited, Allison asked her, “How is Lord Dunbar?”
Having neglected to tell Allison of the previous day’s events, Laura concisely updated her, leaving out the precise gossip about Miss Farris. After all, it was not her secret to tell. She also neglected to mention Lord Farris’s unusual behavior.
Allison appeared to be in a state of shock. “How does so much drama happen around you?”
Laura sighed in exasperation. “I wish I knew. Either way, both Eleanor and myself are once again in the market for a husband.” She sighed wistfully. “You are so lucky you know. You have the man of your dreams.”
“Lord knows how I found a man while both you and Eleanor have not.” Allison smiled brightly. “You remember how I mentioned Brandon had been gambling lately?”
Laura nodded. “Yes, I thought you were worried about the situation.”
“Yes, well, Brandon told me the most extraordinary story. It would appear Lord Farris has convinced him to avoid gambling.”
“And how exactly did he convince him?” she asked dubiously.
“Just by speaking with him.” She spoke drily. “Brandon swears he does not have a gambling problem, but for some unknown reason, Lord Farris thought it necessary to address it.”
“That is extraordinary.” Allison’s news could only mean that Lord Farris had listened to Laura’s concerns about his effect on Lord Deering. Oh, why did he have to perpetually do things to further engrave himself in her heart? Her heart began to hammer in her chest. If he had listened to her, did that mean he was more of a gentleman than she was giving him credit for? If so, did that mean she had misjudged him and made a horrible mistake the previous day?
The clerk handed over the wrapped parcel, and the ladies continued on to the next store. Allison needed new undergarments, which this particular shop abounded in. “I think it is interesting how things have progressed between Lord Farris and yourself,” Allison casually remarked.
Laura was caught off guard and asked cautiously, “What do you mean?”
“Well, there was the house party. You were sick. He left abruptly and developed a drinking habit. Next he sees you at a ball, monopolizes your attention for a dance, and magically overcomes his drinking problem.” She paused to examine the stitching on a chemise. “Next thing I hear is you were seen riding with him in Hyde Park. It almost seems to me that there is more going on than either of you lets on.”
How had Allison learned of her rides with Lord Farris? She supposed one of the other riders in the morning had seen them, but did gossip really spread that quickly? What else did the gossips know of her and Lord Farris?
“What else do the gossips know?” she asked suspiciously.
“Oh, not too much more. There is just plenty of speculation.” She leaned in and confided, “Once word gets out that Lord Dunbar is out of the picture, everyone will think Lord Farris is next on your agenda. People think you really like viscounts.” She laughed at the absurdity. “It also appears you are becoming popular with the men, as they all want to know why both Lord Dunbar and Lord Farris are so interested in you.”
“First off, Lord Farris and I are just friends.” Laura did not appreciate Allison’s dubious look. “Secondly, how do you know all of this?”
She smiled secretly. “Oh I have my ways.” Gesturing with her eyes, Allison asked, “
Is that not Miss Farris?”
Laura looked in the direction Allison had indicated, and sure enough, it was Miss Farris. Laura extended a greeting, and Miss Farris made her way to their location.
“Good afternoon, Lady Laura, I trust you are in good health?”
“Oh yes.” Laura swiftly performed the introductions and asked, “How do you have time to shop with your ball tomorrow?”
Alexa sighed. “I needed a break from all the commotion. Thus, I thought up an excuse and left.”
This was very fortunate for Laura, bumping in to Miss Farris like this. “I can understand the need for a break. My breaks are typically in the morning when I ride.”
“Like when you rode with Lord Farris?” Allison asked deviously.
Laura sighed. “Yes. He has a habit of accompanying me, not that I encourage him.”
Alexa asked casually, “So, you ride often with him?”
Laura looked confusedly at Allison. “I thought it was common knowledge?”
“It is common knowledge that you went riding together, not that it is a frequent event.” Allison giggled.
Drat. She would have preferred to keep that secret. It was too late now, and she would have to accept her unwanted admission. At least they did not know of the previous meeting on Bond Street. “We ride every once in a while.” That was all they needed to know.
Alexa responded with a twinkle in her eye, “You know my brother has recently changed his views on matrimony.” She regarded Laura intently and said, “Mother even gave him my grandmother’s ring, and he accepted it. Every time prior to this visit, he had refused the ring.”
“I am sure he had a perfectly good reason for that, aside from wanting to marry.” She tried valiantly to appear nonchalant, but inwardly, she wanted to scream. What had she done? If Miss Farris were to be believed, she had accused Lord Farris of terrible things when he had truly been proposing matrimony.
Alexa did not respond and turned to accept a package from the clerk. She said her goodbyes and vacated the shop.
Allison was all aflutter about what had developed. “See! Lord Farris is interested in you! This is exceptional news. Imagine how upset Eleanor would be if you snagged one of the top marriage prospects and she did not.” She tittered. Laura had not thought how Eleanor would react, but she doubted it would be happily.