Wit & Intrigue (An Assignation to Remember Book 1)

by Angela Johnson

  With an effort to lighten the nervousness she felt, she gave a curtsey her governess would be proud of, pretending to hold out material as though she wore a beautiful gown.

  His discomfort was far too obvious for Debra to ignore. The youngest of eight children, Debra learned long ago she would only be heard if she voiced her opinion. “Is there a reason for your discomfort?”

  She nearly broke into giggles watching the earl fumble for words. When he spoke, his reasoning was not a surprise. “I have never seen a woman in britches before, you cut a fine figure.”

  Debra blushed. Heat ran through her body as the implication of what he said registered in her mind. Although fully clothed, she suddenly felt more exposed than she had while he unbuttoned her dress. “Please, do not look at me.”

  “May I help you to a place without mud?”

  Debra looked down and took notice of where’d she had sat. It was wet and dirty. “Yes, thank you.”

  She gasped as he again picked her up and carried her to the other side of the fire. Holding tight to the blanket, she wrapped it around her body so he wouldn’t continue to stare at her. Wearing his britches was deeply uncomfortable, especially since it unnerved him so deeply.

  “You said you are a Richardson. Are you one of Lord Samuel’s sisters?”

  “I am his youngest sister. How do you know my brother?”

  “We were at Cambridge together.”

  “Are you the friend Samuel plans to introduce to my older sister?”

  “Yes, I believe her name is Lady Kate.”

  Debra laughed as this poor man had no idea what he was in for. Samuel threatened Kate if she did anything to embarrass him, he’d never introduce her to another man.

  “Why do you laugh?”

  “Oh— I love a good intrigue, my lord.”

  Reticent his eyes sharpened in her direction before he asked, “What secret are you concealing?”

  “Nothing, my lord.” She tried to put as much innocence into her words as she could, and dispel the laughter, but it was too much to bear. Kate planned to marry Lord Trenton, and she promised everyone to have a proposal before he left the manor.

  “What is your age?”

  “A gentleman should never ask such a question,” she said in mock horror. “But… if you must know I am seventeen. I will be introduced to society this next season. My parents wanted me to wait, because my older sisters are still unattached, but if I wait for Diana to marry, I might never get an introduction.” She’d said too much. She could see it on his face as he looked at her as though she confused him. He hadn’t expected her to give a history. He’d asked a simple question and expected a simple answer.

  “Seventeen seems the right age to have an introduction. Why are you in such a rush?”

  “I will be eighteen by the start of the next season, my lord, my friends have already made their début in society. I am the last. I am the only one with too many unmarried sisters.”

  She watched as his lips turned up in a smile. He was very handsome. She now understood why Kate was determined to have him. A handsome man with a fortune and a title was all her sisters would speak about when it came to a match. But this one had a friendly personality, which was rare, according to Diana. Needing to say something else, she chose, “Thank you for the dry clothes.”

  “I would not want you to die on me,” he said as he continued to look at her. “I also do not know how I would explain to your parents if I took you home with hypothermia.”

  “Who said you are accompanying me home, my lord?” She blushed again as he raised his perfect eyebrows. His beautiful hazel eyes shining through the dreary day.

  “You would deny me the pleasure of your company on the ride to your home?”

  “When you put it that way, I suppose I do not have a choice,” she quipped as though his decision to accompany her was a minor annoyance. As she studied his face, she decided to change the characteristics of Lord Percival in her book to match Lord Trenton. He was dashing enough.

  “Where are you going?” Lord Trenton said coming to his feet. “I told you to stay off that ankle.”

  In the rush to put her thoughts to paper, she’d stood without thinking about her injury. “I need to get something out of my bag.”

  “I will fetch it for you. Sit down before you cause further injury.”

  She glared at him. He was treating her like a baby. She might not be out in society yet, but she wasn’t under the watchful eye of a governess. “I can get it myself!”

  “I am already over here,” he said as he rushed to her horse. “What do you need from your bag?”

  “Please bring the bag. I do not want you going through my personal items.” In truth, she didn’t want him seeing her manuscript. She wasn’t ready for anyone to read it.

  “As you wish, my lady.”

  She held back a giggle as he gave her another courtly bow. It was hard not to let her romantic notions take over; he was charming. If she continued to pay him heed, she might lose her heart to this fool. This is why I need to be aloof and rude. He will stop this charming behavior if I am a shrew.

  She rifled through her bag and found pen, ink, and parchment. She would use the time in this barn to finish the chapter she was on. As she looked back at the last words she’d written, she remembered the characters were stuck on the issue of kissing. How was she supposed to write about a kiss without any experience?

  Chapter 6

  Now they were no longer avoiding conversation, he was able to find a measure of comfort in the barn. She was a spit fire, especially for her age. Alex found he was raising his eyebrows in surprise far too often with this woman. He’d known many women her age, he met them every season in London, but usually they were docile and agreeable. They never argued or put him in his place. But Lady Debra found joy in teasing him, and he found himself flummoxed more than once.

  “What are you working on?” he asked as she wrote and crossed words out with vigor. It was as though her hand and the pen were participating in a dance.

  Debra looked up from her parchment and gave him a long look then laughed and shook her head before going back to her writing. “Nothing you need concern yourself over.”

  She is laughing at me? The thought made him even more confused. What have I done to deserve such a sentiment? “Is it a love letter to your beau?” he asked in the most suspicious tone he could muster trying to make it sound like he didn’t care, yet finding he cared very much. What an interesting thought! I hardly know the chit.

  “Are you questioning me again, my lord?”

  “I cannot help my curiosity.” He’d never been so intrigued by a woman in his life, and he wasn’t sure he liked the way she affected him. Her blue eyes were full of an innocence he’d never seen in one over fifteen. Usually by the time a woman reached the age to enter society she spent time thinking of marriage and fashion. Yet this young woman had a secret, and he vowed to unlock it.

  “Perhaps, in your curiosity, you would deign to answer questions for me?”

  Due to the intrigue on her face, he knew he should say no. In his mind he said, no way would I answer any questions for this woman, but when he spoke curiosity won over. “It would be my pleasure, Love.”

  Debra rolled her eyes and sighed. He hid the smile threatening to break through on his lips as he realized she was annoyed with him. “I am a novelist.”

  Alex raised his eyebrows. “A novelist? I was not expecting such a shocking confession.”

  “There are women writers who are published.”

  “I suppose there are, none of them titled. Will you publish under your name?”

  “No… my parents would never allow me to do so.”

  He could see writing was a passion for her. He’d never had such a passion in his life and this short conversation left him wanting. It was as though she’d burrowed into a part of his soul, he’d never discovered leaving a hole where she’d chiseled.

  “I have a few simple questions… about
men.” Although her voice was strong, she looked sheepish and blushed as she said the words.

  “I suppose I could take some time to help you out today. After all, I am stuck here with you.” He tried to put as much annoyance in his voice as possible. He wasn’t happy about being stuck in a cold dingy barn. He’d prefer to be at his destination sitting next to the fire, yet he wanted to answer whatever questions came from her inquisitive mind.

  Situating herself with the pen and parchment as though every word he said would be written with haste, she asked, “When a man is in love with a woman, what inducements does he need to kiss her?”

  Taken by surprise he struggled to answer his mouth falling open. This was not the type of question he expected her to ask. In an effort to sound unaffected, he stopped gawking. “Did you have an easier question to start out with?”

  “What kind of a question would that be?”

  “Poppet, I was expecting something along the lines of, how does a man decided what type of horse to purchase?”

  He allowed himself to smile as she giggled at his question. His face went red when she asked, “Did I embarrass you?”

  “No, I just do not think it is an appropriate first question.” If he were honest, he was embarrassed. He’d never spoken about kissing with his own sister. Why would he speak about it with a perfect stranger? I guess I did help her out of her stays and dress. We are familiar in a way to each other now. As he thought the words, heat flooded his cheeks. What the duce is this woman doing to me?

  “I did embarrass you… fine,” she said putting the end of the pen in her mouth as she made a show of coming up with a new question. “Tell me about the process of choosing a woman to dance with at a ball or party.”

  This wasn’t a hard question. Alex sat back against the wall and answered, “I look for women who catch my eye. I ask women I am interested in speaking with. I do not like to dance with know-it-all blue stockings or women who talk too much.”

  “Thank you.”

  He watched as she scribbled something on the paper, surprised she did not call him on his statement about blue stockings. A woman who considered herself a novelist must be bookish. He waited for another question to come, but she looked at him and raised her eyebrows as though expecting him to say more.

  “Did you not like my response?”

  “I am fine with your answer. But I do need to know what inducements a man needs to kiss a woman.” As she said the word kiss, a tiny hint of a smile shined in her eyes tempting him to answer her question with an actual kiss. It would be ungentlemanly to do so, and he was not a rake.

  “We are already back there?” He did not hide the disappointment.

  “You did ask for a preliminary question, so now you have answered it, I would appreciate this answer.”

  Alex thought about the first woman he’d kissed… the only woman he’d kissed. He’d known Margaret his entire life. He’d spent every summer at her home for the last eighteen years. He thought she would be the woman he’d marry, but when he offered for her hand, she turned him down without thought. Tortured with these thoughts, he pushed them aside. At the age of twenty-two, he wasn’t certain he was ready for marriage now it no longer included Margaret.

  Lost in his thoughts, he remembered the moment he’d asked for her hand. He’d thought there was a basic understanding as they’d discussed the possibility of marriage many summers previously, but her revelation of a secret assignation with the Duke of Midhurst brought all his hopes crashing down around him. She’d said she would always love him, but Midhurst was wealthier, already held his title, and had more land. She would be content with the duke as her husband.

  He looked up as Debra cleared her throat reminding him of her question. It was hard not to notice the deep red of her cheeks, even as his entire body shivered from the cold. The wind continued to howl around them, and if he could look outside, he’d find the ice rain as he could still hear it on the roof. Reminding himself of her question, he considered what caused him to kiss Margaret? He thought he was in love with her. “I think love is one reason to kiss a woman.”

  “What causes feelings of love? Oh, and what does a kiss feel like?”

  Coughing at the shocking questions she asked, Alex wanted to run from the barn. Traveling in the rain might be preferable to answering these questions. Although they were honest and simple, the answers were difficult. “What is happening in this story of yours to cause the author to ask these questions?”

  Not hesitating to answer him, she smiled and excitedly told him of her story. He listened until she said, “Percival and Cordelia are in love, but even with a romantic waltz I cannot seem to get them to their first kiss.” She looked at the paper her nose scrunched in frustration. She was exhausting to watch and speak with, yet he’d never seen a woman so intoxicating.

  “Have you ever been kissed?” He regretted the question as soon as it escaped his mouth.

  “No…” She raised her head in a slow, but curious manner.

  The answer lingered in the air as they looked at each other. He didn’t know how to start the conversation again. Panicking at his stupidity, he waited for her to speak. As the silence between them lingered, he wondered if he should come up with something to say. He let out a breath of relief as she spoke again.

  “Is it important to be kissed in order to write about one?”

  “How can you write about something you have never experienced?”

  “How many women have you kissed?”

  “Pardon me?” As he said the words, he again thought about the last kiss he and Margaret had shared. It had been two days since he’d kissed her. He took Margaret for a ride through the hillside and a picnic. His plan was to propose.

  “I will accept your silence as the answer. You are experienced. Tell me about it. How does it feel to kiss a woman?” Her words interrupted his thoughts. She readied her pen as though she would write every word he said.

  He tried to think of a way to describe the elation and blissful feeling one had in the moment of finding a soul mate, and then his thoughts fell flat. How did it feel to kiss Margaret? At first it was wonderful. But then he remembered the kiss from two days ago and his heart sank. Ice! Margaret had been her playful, flirtatious self, up until she realized he was asking for her hand in marriage. He kissed her and when he realized she wasn’t returning the kiss he pulled back to see anger in her eyes. Painful. If he were to describe the moment, it would be an expression of pain.

  “Kissing does not always feel the same. It depends on the people involved and the situation.”

  “Not helpful.”

  “Unfortunately, I have nothing else to tell you on the subject.” He didn’t want to speak about kissing. He wanted to wallow in self-pity as he thought about Margaret and their last moments together. If there were a way to destroy a man, it was to laugh in his face and tell him he wasn’t good enough. Margaret hadn’t said those exact words, but she certainly didn’t return his affections. How could I have been so blind?

  “I suppose I will have to find a way to experience a kiss for myself.” She put the papers aside and looked at him as though she knew the questions had brought up an old hurt.

  “May I read your manuscript?”

  “No… you may not. You have not answered my question.”

  “I do not think it is an appropriate conversation. You should be in the nursery until you understand what is acceptable to speak about in company.”

  “I graduated from the nursery long ago, my lord. I have asked what would cause a man to kiss a woman and how does a kiss feel. I think both are valid queries. But if you are distressed by my question, I will find someone who is capable of answering it.”

  “What the devil do you mean by that?”

  “I will have to find a way to experience a kiss… since you won’t give me an honest answer. Do you think the devil will be available for such a query?”

  He glared at her flippant remark. “I did answer you. Everything I sai
d was sincere.”

  “No, I do not believe you did. I have men in my life I can ask. I have a brother-in-law who is not faithful to my sister. I could ask him… but I do not think I would enjoy a kiss from him.” The last was said as an afterthought.

  Alex raised his eyebrows at her to indicate he wasn’t to be manipulated into describing a kiss. “Kiss as many men as you like. Your reputation will suffer in London for such scandalous behavior.”

  “We have some handsome footmen. I am certain one of them would oblige me for the research of my book.” She looked over at him as though an idea just struck her. “Have you heard of a handfasting?”

  “Yes…” he let his words trail off as though waiting to hear what she had to say.

  “Will you oblige me with a kiss if we do a handfasting?”

  “My lady,” Alex said as though he were speaking to a woman without wit and common sense, “a handfasting is not valid unless performed in front of a third party.”

  “I know, but I need to know how it is done for my novel.” Alex’s jaw fell open as he considered the implication. If he were honestly considering the entire situation they were in, he’d admit a marriage would have to occur with this lovely woman. Performing a handfasting with her, while there were no witnesses would mean absolutely nothing. If he were a rake, he’d take advantage of her innocence perform the handfasting, do a thorough job of kissing and bedding her, then leave her while she slept. But he was not that man.

  Alex stood and walked away from her. Her romantic sensibilities were misguided, and he might have to inform her brothers of these questions, although he didn’t think he could actually say the words without causing himself to blush. What a mess!

  “I want my book to be as accurate as possible. If two people are running away together, do you not think something like that would happen?” She put the end of her pen in her mouth again as though she were deep in thought as she reviewed her manuscript. “The steward has a son…” Her words trailed off and Alex panicked.