***
Much to Victoria’s dismay, she knew exactly what was happening to her. After three sleepless nights where she lay awake daydreaming about Fin, she knew that there was only one explanation. But she refused to admit to herself that she might be falling for Fin. To fall in love with him would be disastrous for several reasons.
Reason One: his involvement in her life would become far too prevalent, and it was difficult enough to evade him already. Especially since he knew everything. But she couldn’t let him be a party to any of it. It was too dangerous.
Reason Two: it would just plain turn her world upside down. They’d known each other since birth. They were the best of friends. If she were to lose that, she’d be devastated.
Reason Three:
Well, she couldn’t think of a third reason, but one and two were plenty. She absolutely, positively could not fall in love with Phineas Dartwell, no matter how his eyes sparkled whenever he looked at her now. Or how delectable his kiss had been. Or how she ached to feel his hands about her waist, and his chest pressed to hers—
She shook her head. Good heavens, this just wouldn’t do. She needed to get her mind off of Fin, and she wouldn’t be able to do that if she sat here, staring out her window at his house all day.
It had been far too long since she’d been to the hospital, so she made up her mind to pay a visit that afternoon. Now that she was well, Mother surely wouldn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary if she said she was going to see Lady Hartswell. The real challenge would be getting past Fin’s house. He and Sally spent much of their time in the front parlor, the one that looked out onto the street, from which they could see Victoria’s comings and goings. If only she could go the opposite direction, but then her own mother might notice. And since Lady Hartswell was in that direction, past Fin’s, she would surely have to make up some excuse, and her lies would begin to go even deeper. She felt as if she were drowning in them as it was. She would just have to take her chances with Fin.
By the time luncheon was over, Victoria was itching to go. But her mother insisted she receive callers with her that afternoon, so she would have to wait to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, a rather unwelcomed caller descended upon their home that afternoon. One Mr. Woodmore.
Lady Grantham was thrilled to see him, of course. He was the only eligible gentleman who had come their way since Victoria’s recovery. So she batted her eyelashes at him and doted on him, insisting Cook prepare him some of her famous lemon cake. And really, the cake was delicious, but Victoria had no desire to eat it in Woodmore’s company.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like the man, she just felt incredibly uncomfortable around him after what had happened. What if he somehow figured out it had been her that night in Westminster? And furthermore, if she wasn’t going to let Fin court her, she certainly wasn’t going to allow Woodmore to do so.
“Miss Barclay, I am so glad to see you’re feeling better,” Woodmore said, his eyes filled with concern as he daintily placed a small piece of cake on his tongue.
“Yes, well, I’m just glad to be able to go outside again.”
“Ah, of course. The weather has been splendid, hasn’t it?”
Victoria nodded. Could the conversation possibly get any more tedious? Not likely.
“Perhaps the two of you would like to take a walk through the gardens?” This came from Victoria’s mother, whose normally stern expression was now one of hopefulness.
Victoria should have been hurt by her mother’s desperation to marry her of and get her out of the house, but she was used to it by now. And the last thing she wanted to do was take a walk with Woodmore through the gardens. What if Fin saw them? Would he think something was going on between them? She didn’t want to be with him, but neither did she want him to think she cared for anyone else.
Damn, but this was a conundrum.
However, there was nothing to be done about it now. She couldn’t very well say no.
“A walk would be lovely.”
Once they were outside, Victoria led the way, choosing a brisk pace to get them to the far side of the garden, where it was less likely Fin would be able to see them from his house.
“Slow down,” Woodmore encouraged with a slight chortle. “I would like to have a chance to enjoy the flowers.”
“Do forgive me, Mr. Woodmore. I always go straight to the same spot in the garden. It’s where we have my favorite of all the flora.”
“But look here at these hydrangeas. Stunning colors, don’t you think?”
Victoria fidgeted with the ribbons on her dress. “I suppose they are stunning…in a way.”
Woodmore looked up at her. “Are you quite all right, Miss Barclay?” he asked. “You seem rather nervous about something.” He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice. “Do I make you nervous, Miss Barclay?”
Victoria resisted the urge to laugh in his face. Good heavens, he was trying to sound seductive. But why did it come across so false to her?
“Er…no,” she said. “It’s simply in my nature to fidget. Ask my mother.” She smiled widely as she surreptitiously took a few steps backward. “Shall we continue our walk?”
She turned and scurried along, not waiting to see if Woodmore was put out at all by her flippancy. She didn’t really care one way or the other. All she really cared about was getting this visit over with as soon as was humanly possible.
Eighteen
Fin watched Victoria and Woodmore walk through the garden from his second story window. He hid just behind the curtain so that even if they did look up, they wouldn’t see him. At least, he hoped they wouldn’t. He hadn’t really tested that theory.
At any rate, Victoria was far too nervous and distracted to notice much of anything. Clearly she was trying to get rid of the man, and why wouldn’t she be? No one would be comfortable spending time with someone they’d recently tried to rob.
But that was what had Fin worried this afternoon. What was Woodmore playing at? Though the man might look for a wife for the sake of keeping up appearances, a man like him certainly wouldn’t go after a woman like Victoria. She was far too passionate a specimen. Whoever took her as wife would have to be devoted. Faithful. Fin was certain his lifelong friend would not overlook indiscretions, especially the kind Woodmore would engage in.
So it begged the question: what was he doing calling on Victoria?
When they moved to the other side of the garden, Fin left his post at the window. Good God, had he really become so desperate to see Victoria that he had resorted to spying on her?
No, it was simply out of concern that he watched her. From behind a curtain.
Never mind all that, he would see her tonight at the Gilbert masquerade. Right now, he was supposed to be having tea with Sally. They’d made a habit of it ever since Caroline had passed away. The child needed normalcy in her life, something she could count on every day without fail. And today, Fin had something special to tell her.
She was waiting for him in the front parlor. Her blonde curls had been swept up on top of her head, held together by a giant blue bow. The bow matched her dress, which was a blue and white stripe, complete with lace trimmings and a sash. He shuddered to think what would have happened to the girl had Victoria not discovered her in Southwark that day. Where would she be with no mother and no one to care for her? It tore at his heart, but he put on a bright smile for her as he entered the room.
“You’re five minutes late,” she said matter-of-factly.
Fin stopped and bowed to her. “I beg your forgiveness, milady. I’m afraid I was unavoidably delayed.”
“Because you were spying on Miss Barclay?”
Fin’s mouth fell open, and Sally’s mouth turned up in a grin. “Well, if you know that I was spying on Miss Barclay, then that means you were spying on me.”
Sally giggled.
“At any rate,” he continued, “I’ve something very important to speak with you about today, Sally.”
/> Sally’s laughter died away, and her eyes filled with tears. “Sally, why are you crying?” he asked her.
“It was too good to be true. I knew it. You’re going to send me away now, aren’t you?”
“Send you away?” She nodded. Fin smiled softly at her. “Sally, I am not sending you away. As a matter of fact…” He procured the documents from his solicitor stating that Sally was now his legal ward. “Do you know what these papers say?”
She shook her head. “I can’t read, sir.”
“A fact we will remedy very soon,” he assured her. “Sally, these papers state that I am now your legal guardian. You’re going to live here with me, but only if you want to, of course. You do have an aunt—”
Fin was quite literally cut off when Sally’s arms wrapped about his neck. She cried into his jacket, but he didn’t much care.
“There, there,” he said, patting her back gently. When she pulled away, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. “No need for tears, dear girl. But we are certainly in need of a celebratory cup of tea.”
The Robber Bride (Regency Historical Romance) Page 23