“There is nothing to fear, Tabitha,” he said. “Nick told me of her foray into his rooms last night. It seems the ‘Lady’ Sabine is trying any recourse she has to force Nick into marriage. He politely declined her invitation and asked her to be on her way.”
“Oh,” said Tabitha, embarrassed that she had even brought up the topic and yet feeling relieved at Alexander’s revelation. “That is fortunate, I suppose.”
“Yes, cousin,” he said with an interested glance at her. “I suppose it is.”
Chapter 9
Before she knew it, Tabitha was preparing herself for the tea being held in the afternoon. Mrs. McEwan had finished a new, looser hairstyle for Tabitha after she had finished sending up the dress and ensemble the Duchess Gemma would need for the tea.
Tabitha’s borrowed tea dress was simple and lacked any adornments save for one ribbon tied beneath her breastbone. The pale pink of the silk matched a ribbon that Mrs. McEwan had threaded through her hair and the slippers on her feet.
With a sigh, she fell back on her bed and mused that, for once, she missed the regular schedule and autonomy she seemed to have in her workshop. Sure, the hours were long and the work was hard, but at least there were no serpents around each corner looking to take a bite at her each time she let her guard down.
The tea was served in a large room that featured floor-to-ceiling windows as well as open access to the gardens. Though considered light because it was only four in the afternoon, the food was considerable and exquisite.
Alexander found her downstairs as she rounded the last step and offered her his arm.
“Smashing work earlier, Tabitha,” he said with a wink and her cheeks warmed at his informal use of her name. She liked Alexander. In the short hours that she had known him, she found him to be warm and genuine and most important, legitimately concerned for the people he cared about.
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes scanning the hall as they walked down toward the solarium. “What a nasty bit of business that woman is to say such a thing.”
Alexander nodded.
“Quite right. I was not expecting the claws to come out quite so quickly,” he said as they rounded the corner and entered the room. On the far side, she immediately noticed the duke, along with the fact that Sabine had already attached herself to his elbow. “Seems they are doubling their efforts, are they not? Remember, Tabitha — stay sharp and keep up.”
She did not quite have enough time to ask him what he meant before she noted the duchess sitting in a lounge across the way, cornered by Lady Banon.
“Excuse me a moment, Lord Rutland,” she said. “It seems I am required once again.”
She released his arm and walked across the room.
“Your Grace,” she said, offering a small curtsy, completely ignoring Lady Banon. “How lovely you look this afternoon.”
She took a seat beside the dowager duchess and engaged her in conversation, leaving Lady Banon huffing beside them. Eventually she disengaged and walked away.
“Thank you, my dear,” said the Duchess Gemma. “I was finding that conversation rather trying. I must say you happened upon me at a rather opportune moment.”
As one of the duchess’ friends joined in the conversation, Alexander returned and offered Tabitha his arm once again.
“I say, cousin, you are doing a splendid job,” he said as he shuttled her across the room to the duke, who was as trapped as his mother had been, with Sabine now draped across his arm. “Now, you must properly meet my true cousin.”
“Nick,” Alexander said with a grin as they approached. “Imagine seeing you here.”
The duke smirked and Tabitha watched as Sabine’s eyes danced between the men. It was obvious she didn’t like Alexander and the feeling was mutual, so when he offered her his arm she visibly blanched.
“Walk with me a moment, Miss Banon?” he asked. “I have a few questions about your father’s estate down south, and I know he would appreciate you sharing your knowledge with me.”
With no out, Sabine huffed for a moment when she had to withdraw her claws from the duke’s arm and leave with Alexander.
Tabitha was happy to see her go but then realized she had been left with the duke. Eyes dancing to the sides for an exit, she realized she was stuck.
“Are most young ladies horticulture experts?”
The question was blunt and forced her eyes up to his, as this was his way apparently.
“What would I know of most ladies?” she replied, smiling sweetly. “I only know about myself and I happen to be an enthusiast of flowers and their meanings.”
He regarded her, making her want to fidget with the ribbon on her dress, and she had to force herself to keep her hands still.
“You have no problem speaking your mind, do you?” he asked, a smile tugging on his lips.
Without meaning to, Tabitha scoffed. “You think I have spoken my mind?” She laughed. “There is more to my mind than snowdrops and primroses, I assure you. I was merely answering your question, Your Grace.”
“Nicholas will do,” he said, interrupting her. “You are obviously important to my cousin, so I insist on you calling me Nicholas.”
She most certainly would not, but still, she smiled politely at the insistence.
“Would it be so bad if a lady spoke her mind once in a while?” she asked quietly when the silence stretched too long. She knew she was supposed to remark about the weather or the food, but quite honestly, both topics were boring and she would not be among these people for long, nor did she rather care what they thought of her.
“No, it would not,” he said just as quietly. “It is just so rare I hardly know what to make of it.”
Tabitha drew in a breath and did her best to hold it in. It didn’t last long.
“Then perhaps it is the company you keep,” was out of her lips before she could stop it. She closed her eyes and prayed to be swallowed up by the ground at that instant. Why was she being so flippant with this man? This duke? Perhaps it was his own bluntness that allowed her to feel she could be so in return.
“Present company excluded of course, right?”
Tabitha’s eyes snapped to his, and she was shocked at the smile on his face and the amusement in his eyes.
“Did you enjoy France?”
She had to move the conversation into shallow waters where she knew how to swim. With this man’s mercurial moods, she didn’t know how to handle the sudden shift from brooding to … was it flirting?
Clearly, she was imagining things and needed to get Alexander back here as quickly as possible.
“Mostly,” the duke replied, his eyes scanning. “Did you?”
His eyes were on her again, attempting to read her. Right. This is what she had been preparing for. She had been to France once with her father long ago, and she figured drawing on a few dim memories were better than outright lying in her attempt to sound believable.
“It was lovely,” she said truthfully. “But it has so many memories attached to it that it is difficult to separate the place from the feelings.”
“I understand what you mean,” the duke said, his eyes flicking from hers to the garden outside where his mother was now speaking to an older gentleman in a navy uniform.
She really needed Alexander to return, and he had completely disappeared. This small talk with the duke was getting tedious, and the need to constantly lie and protect her story was not much fun.
“It has been wonderful talking to…” she began but he cut her off by offering his arm.
“Walk with me in the garden a moment?” His voice was quiet but his eyes were outside.
Unsure of what to do, she accepted his arm and allowed him to lead her through the doorways and outside. It was a pleasant afternoon, and people milled around different parts of the garden with one another. Tabitha had no idea where he was leading her. She had assumed he wanted to be close to his mother, but he walked in a different direction. She watched his eyes flick back to the room
where they’d just been and she followed his glance, noting that Lady Banon had reappeared. Her eyes were firmly on the two of them, and Tabitha could feel the flames firing out of them.
Was he hiding from the Dragon Woman? Was it really so hard to put someone in her place?
“Is there a reason we are out here?” Tabitha asked after they’d stood quietly for a few minutes, the duke sipping from his flute.
“I find you refreshing, Miss Kenmore,” he said abruptly. “I find myself seeking your company today, and I am not quite sure why. I do not quite know what to make of you. Quiet one moment, asserting your thoughts and opinions the next. I do not know who you are, and I feel like you are keeping something from the world. You are guarded. Why?”
It was as though the air stood still as he held her gaze. To break the spell, she took a sip of her drink.
“I am not guarded — at least not any more than you or anybody else I have met,” she said, trying to be cryptic and honest at the same time. It was a dizzying dance, and she worried that soon she’d have a misstep.
“Who are you?”
Her eyes shot to his, assuming the entire charade was up. Would she get into any sort of trouble? Would Mrs. McEwan? Their intentions were noble, Tabitha reminded herself. She probably wouldn’t get into too much trouble as long as her stepmother remained in the dark. Surely, she could find her way out of this situation cleanly and quickly.
“Tabitha,” she said, again sticking close to the truth. “Who are you?”
It brought forth a genuine smile from him that surprised and dazzled her and made her stomach flutter.
“Nicholas,” he replied with a grin. “I hate being bored. I love the sea. I think marzipan is atrocious, and being around all these strangers makes me anxious.”
Tabitha looked at the crowd that had gathered in little clusters around the garden and the adjoining room. Some seemed hardly engaged in the conversation they were currently in and more concerned with whom other people were talking to.
“I like having a purpose. I hate trying to please people for no reason. And I love marzipan.”
“Are you interested in Alexander? Are the two of you courting?”
The question landed at her feet and she blinked. Alexander? She had completely forgotten him in the last few moments.
“No, it is nothing like that,” she said.
“Could it be something like that?” he pressed.
“No,” she said, knowing she was far too below Alexander’s station, and, when she thought of it, she really did think of him as a friend whose company she enjoyed. He was attractive, but she didn’t find herself drawn to him in that way. “We are cousins … and friends.”
The duke let out a breath and nodded to himself.
“Very good,” he murmured, causing her eyes to fly up to his as he stared at her intently. He was silent for a moment as his gaze roamed her face before settling on her mouth. She was mesmerized by the gleam in his chestnut eyes and felt her heart beat faster in her chest.
“Nicholas, dear,” a female voice called from across the shrubbery, breaking the spell. “I need your assistance in answering one of the Admiral’s questions.”
It was his mother. The duke’s handsome face fell a bit and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were heated.
“Our discussion is far from over, Miss Kenmore,” he said in a whisper as he grasped her hand in his and squeezed. The contact sent an electric shock up her arm and made her gasp. “Do not move.”
He was gone moments later, and Tabitha struggled to catch her breath. What had just happened? Was she really going to further their very personal discussion? It was madness to even consider it. As she stood there wondering how to get herself out of this mess, Anita raced around a corner with red cheeks and wide eyes.
“There you are, miss,” she gasped and motioned for Tabitha to follow her. “Quickly, now. Quickly!”
She struggled to keep up with the maid as they took a side entrance into the house and wound through the hallways back to the kitchen. Pushing through the door, she found Mrs. McEwan and Alexander waiting there, neither looking particularly happy.
“What is it?” she asked as she moved into the room.
“We need to get you out of here,” Alexander said in a low voice. “The serpents are asking questions about you and your origins.”
Tabitha sucked in a breath.
“We knew it would be risky, and from what Alexander says, you did a fantastic job, Miss Blackmore,” Lorna said, wringing her hands. “But to save all of us from any complications or trouble, we should send you home now. Alexander will tell them that you were called away by your mother due to an emergency of some sort. That she has returned early from her travels and she requires your assistance immediately. He is a clever lad. He will take care of it.”
“And what of the dowager duchess?”
“Alexander will keep an eye on her, and the party is almost finished.”
Tabitha nodded mutely. They were right. She should leave quietly without another word to the duke. What would he think when he found out she was the near-penniless daughter of a baronet? She would be the brunt of society’s jokes for a good while if she were found out. And Mrs. McEwan. What sort of trouble would she get into?
“Anita gathered your things and there is a chaise waiting on the west side of the house,” Mrs. McEwan pulled Tabitha into a warm hug, squeezing her tight. “You did a marvelous job, my girl. We only wish you could have stayed longer.”
Alexander held his hand out to Tabitha.
“I would be more than honored to have a woman like you in my family, Tabitha,” he said and pressed her hand in his, topping it with a quick kiss to her knuckles. “Live well. Perhaps our paths will cross again someday.”
She smiled, forcing herself to look cheerier than she felt.
“I would like that, Alexander, as doubtful as I may be of the occurrence,” she said. “Stay out of trouble.”
She turned and followed Anita through the servants’ hallways out the front of the house. In no time, she was loaded into the carriage, the door shut behind her, and riding away from the Fairchild home and from Nicholas Fairchild, the Duke of Stowe.
Her stomach plummeted, and she could not stop thinking that this had all been a big mistake.
Chapter 10
Nicholas extracted himself from the conversation with his mother and the Admiral as quickly as possible so as to return to Miss Kenmore. He smiled to himself as he turned the corner around the shrubbery. Finally! A woman with wit and intelligence, who knew how to make him laugh and expressed what she felt.
Never mind the fact that she was stunning, with a captivating face and petite yet strong frame with small curves that her plain dress perfectly accented, the ribbon tied around a waist from which flowed hips he longed to feel against him. And the way she returned his gaze with those violet eyes of hers stirred him, as she didn’t shrink from him or drop her eyes coquettishly.
He could not wait to continue their conversation. He returned where he had left her and stopped suddenly, looking around him in confusion. In the few short minutes he had been away, she had disappeared. Perhaps she had gone in for refreshments or had been caught up in conversation with another guest.
Nicholas continued searching the gardens before returning indoors. She was nowhere to be found. He continued through the library, the sitting room, and even asked Lorna to check her bedchambers.
Lorna raised an eyebrow at him but did as he asked without comment. “It appears, Nicholas, that she has left the party,” she told him.
“Left? Whatever do you mean?”
“It seems she was called away to an emergency regarding her mother,” she replied.
“Where is Alexander?”
“I shall inquire on his whereabouts.”
“Bring him to the library when you find him, please, Lorna.”
When Alexander stepped through the library doors, Nicholas was sitting in his overstuffed
chair, looking through the windows in bewilderment, his foot tapping impatiently.
“Alex, there you are. What has happened to your cousin?”
“My cousin? Oh you mean Miss Kenmore? She was called away to attend to her mother, who is returned from her travels due to an illness I believe. She requested Miss Kenmore’s presence immediately. Why do you ask?”
“Because I find her … intriguing, and I should like to know more. Where does she live? I will call upon her tomorrow.”
“I … am not entirely sure where in London her mother resides. Previously I visited Miss Kenmore at her country home, and she was staying at our family home in London before her mother returned.”
“Find where she is, will you, Alex?”
“I shall do my best.”
“Tell me about her. Why have I never met her before? Why is she so different from the other young women of the ton? She is refreshing. She is not only honest and open, but she has quick wit, and she protected my mother — twice — from Lady Hester. For that, I am truly grateful.”
Alexander answered in as general terms as he could, using the back story of her well-traveled childhood and her wish to become acquainted with the peerage before her own season would begin. He explained that he did not know much further as he had so recently become acquainted with her himself.
“You have no designs on her, do you?”
“No, Nicholas, I feel that while Miss Kenmore and I are friendly, and I do enjoy her company and conversation, we lack the spark that I feel is necessary for further liaisons. Am I to assume that you feel said spark with cousin Tabitha?”
“You assume correctly. She may no longer have a need to prepare for her season. Find her for me.”
Chapter 11
Despite being nervous that the truth of her charade would be found out those first few days back in her old routine, life pressed on like it always did. A week later, Tabitha had firmly pushed all thoughts of her brief foray into society to the back of her mind.
Except for the thoughts of the duke and the way he had looked at her as they stood in the gardens. She could not quite shake that image from her memory, and she was not certain that she even wanted to. She would cherish that feeling for the rest of her life.
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