Kitabı oku: «The Aristocrat's Lady», sayfa 2

Chapter Two

“Lord Devlin! Dear Nicky, he is only the most sought-after man in all of London. And an earl! Of course he may call on us if he wishes. I only pray that you do not get your hopes up too high. No doubt he offers such compliments as a general rule and cannot remember even half the people he meets.” Nicole and her mother were in the carriage on the way home after bidding farewell to Lady Swathmore.

“Nicky, you must at least have heard about him. I vow I hear something new of him wherever we go.” Her mother’s voice changed to a discreet whisper. “I declare he is even more handsome than rumor has it. His raven-black hair makes him most dashing. He is reputed to have the bluest eyes in all of London. Such a pity I could not make them out in the dark. I recall someone telling me that he once caused a young lady to faint with his intense gaze. I suppose she must have been quite a goose to have been so overset.” Nicole could only smile at her mother’s words. “I thought his hair a trifle too long to be quite fashionable,” her mother continued, “but young men are of a different stamp than in my day. However, most of the ladies seem to like it very much. Tell me, Nicky, what did you think of him?”

Fortunately, her mother did not require an actual response.

“Apparently he is still quite popular, though he is considered somewhat haughty and standoffish.” Lady Beaumont finished her descriptions of the gentleman with a sigh. “Nicky, were I twenty years younger I should be vying for his attentions myself!”

Nicole could hold her laughter no longer and leaned over to hug her mother. “I believe you would win his heart immediately, did he know it,” Nicole bubbled.

She had known from the timbre of Lord Devlin’s voice and his natural arrogance that he must be much sought after. But now that her mother had expounded on his reputation, Nicole could be sure it had just been a moonlight flirtation and she could forget it ever happened. In any event, she supposed she could try.

“Mama, this whole evening was a disappointment to both of us. Sitting out all of the dances is becoming excruciating, especially when I am stuck in conversation with the likes of Lord Stokes. I do not make friends of my own when I sit with the dowagers all evening. My only pleasure was to be the cool breeze on the terrace, yet what was the outcome? I am accused of trying to compromise some haughty lord into marriage! I am weary of this and wish to go home.”

“What in heaven’s name are you talking of?” Her mother stared in question but continued in complaint. “Really, Nicky, you will say anything to shorten our stay, and you promised you would try to enjoy it. You are the one who set the conditions during this trip. You vowed no one must know of your condition and now you are complaining because it hinders you from enjoying any of the events. Why can we not admit your situation and get on with it?”

Nicky reached over to her mother and hugged her again. “Mama, I am sorry to be such a disappointment to you. I know you think if I told everyone about the accident things would be better. But do you not see that they would be so much worse? Now I am only relegated to the dowager section and can still sit out dances with some conversation. If Society knew about me, no one would know how to treat me. People would ignore me because they would not know what to say to me.”

Nicole continued in a tired voice, “Mama, anyone here who would accept my inabilities would be friendly enough, but then I would be cosseted to death. You know that is worse than anything for me. You promised if I agreed to come to London we could keep it a secret as long as possible. That gives me the illusion of having a normal Season.”

Lady Beaumont sighed and took Nicole’s hand. “My dear, I only want to give you the chance to meet someone you could love and trust, as I did your dear father. People are not intentionally mean or cruel, just ignorant of differences they do not understand.” She gripped Nicole’s hand tightly. “Every man you meet will not be like Michael. What he did was abominable. When you meet the man God intended for you, he will appreciate the strength and courage you have shown and will love you as much as we do.”

She hurried on. “We must also have faith that Dr. Morrison will give you a brighter prognosis for the future.” She patted her daughter’s hand in sympathy. “Now no more talk of going home. We will be back at Beaufort Hall soon enough.”

“Very well, Mama. Why do you not rest until we get home. You know Chelsea may have fallen asleep in one of our beds and will want a full account of the ball when we get there.” Nicole had yearned for solitude on the drive home, but her mind betrayed her by reliving the wonderful time spent on the Swathmores’ terrace. Since the drastic change in her life, Nicole had come to the conclusion that she must remain unwed and was unwavering in her decision. Her mother’s mention of Michael only confirmed it.

Michael had been the first man she had really loved. He was a doctor and she had thought so highly of him. She had looked forward to sharing a life helping others and raising children among the families and friends in Cheltenham. She had thought she had found that with Michael. But when she had had her accident, he had become more and more distant until he had finally asked her to release him from his promise. He needed a helpmeet, he had said. She could no longer be that. With a heart that only she’d known was broken, she had released him. That’s when she had learned that the disability that had so affected her life, making each day harder to cope with, also made her a burden. She had determined she would not be a burden to her family, and she had become resolved never to be a burden to a husband.

Tonight, however, had reminded her of what her life could have been, and she realized that her conviction might cause her as much pain as the daily reminder she had to contend with.

She did everything in her power to turn her mother’s mind from the meeting with Lord Devlin, yet now she herself could think of nothing but the enigmatic man bent on furthering an acquaintance with her. While such reflections made her seriously regret a solitary future, she determined that God would help her effectively convince others that she was content in His plan for her, and she was striving for that contentment daily.

Despite her protests to the contrary, Nicole had heard of the renowned Lord Devlin. Since she spent much of her time with the dowagers, what she had heard had not been favorable. A major complaint was that he took an active interest in his estates rather than giving them into the hands of bailiffs. And the soldiers! Well, they could not even speak of his association with those of such low descent.

These were comments Nicole had overheard, but none were characteristics that made her think less of him. Indeed, she had secretly desired to know more of the man who flouted the conventions of Society and followed his convictions.

She had long ago built a wall around her own heart. It was not enough to stop her innermost attachments, but for protection from just such a hurt as she had set herself up for tonight. She thought once again of the pleasure she’d had being treated as a desirable woman. It proved that her self-constructed armor was still impervious to an irresistible gentleman on a moonlit terrace!

She allowed him that small entrance into her inner sanctum and knew he might be the man with the power to penetrate it completely. Her only other option was to create a more indomitable edifice around her heart that would affect all who would seek to gain her love, not just prospective suitors. Her nature balked at that thought. She had been given a heart for God, and she intended to follow the dictates of that heart.

Upon arrival at the townhouse, Nicole bid the servants good-night and climbed the stairs. Toby, her personal servant, accompanied Nicole to her bedchamber. He never retired until he was assured of her safety. “Thank you, Toby.” He was a gentle giant and she loved him dearly. She put her hand on his arm to stay him a moment, but embarrassment made her keep her face averted.

“Toby, I want to thank you for the time alone on the terrace this evening. I know you were close by. Maybe close enough to hear parts of my conversation with Lord Devlin?” She did not wait for his answer. “I know it was you disturbing the ducks!” She had startled him, but she only laughed. “Do not worry. I truly appreciate your restraint when I am sure you felt the need to interrupt. It was quite pleasant having a normal, relaxed conversation for a change. I believe the gentleman even flirted a little, do you not think so?”

Toby’s brow furrowed as he said, “I couldn’t ‘ear most of what you said, Lady Nick, and you know I don’t go in for no eavesdropping. I know you can take care of yourself most of the time.” They reached her door, and he waited to be sure she was safely inside before he left her. She could hear Chelsea’s even breathing; the girl was asleep on the divan.

At a touch Chelsea came awake with a start. She rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. “Oh, Nicky, what time is it? I vowed I would be quite grown up tonight and not fall asleep. Confound it! Here I have done that very thing.”

Nicole hugged her, laughing. “There were several ladies snoring softly at the ball. You were not alone, pet!”

“Nicky, never say you sat with the dowagers again all evening,” cried her sister. “I prayed and prayed God would give you a good time for a change. Papa always told me if it was for the good of someone other than me, my prayers would always be specially answered.”

Nicole put on her most impish smile and chuckled at her sister. “You are a little minx! Your prayers were not only answered, they must have given even the angels enjoyment! Where should I begin? Lady Swathmore’s turban kept tilting side to side until footmen were following behind her at each step to make sure she did not topple over.

“Old General Thomas, God bless him, was seated next to Mrs. Ballingham-Smythe at dinner. He is as old as the hills and deaf to boot. Every attempt on her part to talk to him only brought the reply telling her to speak up. After several go-rounds she finally threw up her hands in despair and knocked a platter of turbot right out of the footman’s hand.”

“I do not believe one word, Nicky. You are making the whole thing up to please me.”

“Upon my honor, sweetheart, it all happened as I said. Why, even the haughty Miss Letitia Preston was upset because she had to open the ball with the young Duke of Crawford. He was the highest ranking title there, you see, and she complained that her pink dress and his red hair would clash!”

“Nick, you know that was not truly the enjoyment I prayed for. I prayed for you to enjoy yourself with a special companion or a new friend.”

“Very well, minx—if you must know, I did meet a nice gentleman tonight. I enjoyed the evening much more than usual. Now do not go into whoops, I am only telling you this to show you that Papa was right and God does listen to your concern for others.”

“Oh, Nicky, tell me all about it!”

“He was a mere mortal and I met him when I went out on the terrace to get a breath of fresh air. We had a very nice conversation, and since Toby was not with me, Lord Devlin was not aware of my accident. We had a nice pleasant conversation about the Swathmores’ gardens.”

“You call that the answer to my prayers?” Chelsea groaned in exasperation.

Nicole sat up straight and knew she had to be honest with her worrisome sister. “Darling, when all you desire is a little normalcy and it comes along in such a nice and unexpected fashion, believe me, it is a very special answer.”

She could not help thinking back on the evening as she continued. “Lord Devlin was exceptionally kind and made me laugh. You know, more often than not I find myself laughing at London gentlemen, not with them.”

Nicole came out of her reverie and smiled dearly at Chelsea. “That is all there was to it, minx. Now since I told Stella not to wait up for me, would you like to help me change for bed?”

Nicole discovered she was glad to have the company. She suddenly feared the quiet of the night and the subject her thoughts might continue to dwell upon. She could only pray silently for God’s strength.

While Nicole was regretting her decision to have Chelsea as her abigail, Lord Devlin was sitting alone in his coach, his own thoughts far from restive. He was going to his grandmother’s house only two miles beyond Swathmore Hall.

His grandmother was the only relative he felt any fondness for. Indeed, she was the only person he truly loved, as much as he could understand love. Knowing he would be so near tonight, he had informed her through the post that he wished to stay the night with her after the Swathmore fete.

She would want to discuss the ball, but he was not sure he was prepared to talk to anyone about the sudden departure of his usual boredom after meeting Lady Nicole Beaumont. She was a very special woman, of that he was certain.

Discounting his impressions of her physical charms, it was her wit and intelligence, along with her innocence and experience, that made him think of her as more than a beauty. His own mind told him repeatedly that innocence and experience in one package seemed a conundrum, but he felt it nonetheless. Could he believe that such a desirable woman was truly disinterested in marriage or the social whirl?

But as his coach pulled up to the dower’s house, his thoughts changed direction and settled on the woman who had been mother and father to him for most of his life. His grandmother seemed to get a little frailer each time he saw her now, and he knew she could no longer get out of the Bath chair she had once used only as a convenience. She was more special to him than she would ever know.

Lady Augusta, the dowager countess, was his fraternal grandmother and had always tried her best to shield him from his father’s harshness. Devlin’s mother had been too weak to stand up to the fifth Earl of DeVale. Even Devlin’s marriage had been loveless. But his grandmother was strong and her protection had often spared him unjust punishment. They soon came to share a love built on respect and caring that he had never felt before or since.

Indeed, he always looked forward to time with his grandmother. Thinking about it now, he realized he had grown up hearing of his grandmother’s great dependence on God. Lady Nicole also broached that subject.

But as Devlin grew and became more and more embittered with his father and society in general, his grandmother’s beliefs seemed incongruous in the world he lived in.

He supposed his grandmother’s faith in a supreme being had kept him from overt surprise when Lady Nicole had indicated the same. But he believed as a young, beautiful woman in the midst of a London Season, it would be a simple matter to trust in an all-loving God. She had not seen enough of the world to be jaded as he had.

His grandmother was convinced there was still a woman for him who would unlock his heart, and she often castigated Jared’s father for the tangle he had made of her grandson’s life.

Devlin looked forward to recounting to Lady Augusta the details of the Swathmore ball, especially an incident with a platter of turbot, but he did not think he would yet mention the mysterious episode on the terrace. He had not convinced himself that it was not all a trick of the moonlight!

He entered his grandmother’s drawing room and found her comfortably ensconced in her Bath chair near the fire.

“Jared,” she said with a loving smile. “I am so glad you have come.”

Devlin leaned down to kiss the weathered cheek then brought both of her fragile hands up to his lips.

“My lady,” he reproved her, “what are you about, to give up your rest to wait upon me? I should never have asked to come had I suspected you would jeopardize your health over it!” Pulling a covered footstool closer to her chair, he sat before her.

“Goodness, Jared.” It was the lady’s turn to scowl. “What an abominable greeting.” She had feigned anger, but she soon looked at him with her dazzling smile as she squeezed his hand. “My dear, you must not scold me. Tell me all about the ball. Indeed, I shall surprise my neighbors by knowing all the gossip before they do!”

An image of a dark-haired beauty on a moonlit terrace flashed through Devlin’s mind. He decided that despite what he had just told himself, sharing that unexpected encounter would not only please his grandmother, but would possibly help him dispel the air of mystery he had put upon it.

“It was no different from any other of the balls I have attended over the past ten years. I did meet an unusual woman. She left, however, before she could become a dead bore.”

She casually asked him while taking a sip of her tea, “Did you set up a new flirt, dear?”

Devlin laughed out loud. “Grandmother, you are a complete hand!”

“You avoid my question, Jared.”

Devlin laughed again and held up both hands as if to ward off a blow.

“Then tell me, dear, who is it that piqued your interest tonight?” Lady Augusta watched a faraway look come into her grandson’s eyes. She was now certainly intrigued.

“Your description is quite apt, Grandmother. Lady Nicole definitely ‘piqued my interest.’ The sameness of such events is becoming tedious. Dare I admit I was in a dark corner hoping to avoid notice?”

“If what I hear is correct, you very seldom avoid notice.”

“When I was young I found all of the attention quite diverting. I enjoyed the antics some women went to just to get my attention. Fainting spells and sprained ankles were a common occurrence when I was by.” He looked at the older woman with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I would know, do they teach women those maneuvers from a young age, or must you invent such ploys as you go along?”

“Do not be impertinent, Jared. You know very well I despise such artifice.”

He was obediently contrite. “I apologize, ma’am.” He continued with his train of thought. “But after Vivian, I no longer saw such machinations as humorous, and I can no longer even pretend to be flattered by them. These women have no knowledge of me beside what they have heard through the gossipmongers. Yet it seems not to matter as long as I am a wealthy earl.” He stopped, downing the rest of his brandy all at once.

Lady Augusta patted his hand. “I gather the someone you met tonight was quite different?”

“To own the truth, Grandmother, I do not know. I know that while we conversed she had no idea who I was. However, I do believe that had she known, she would not have behaved any differently. I suppose the fact that she did not fawn over me explains my notice of her.” He hoped he sounded nonchalant to his grandmother.

“You begin to interest me greatly, Jared. Why would she have acted differently had she known who you were?”

“I am afraid I was a bit … ah … starched up, and she gave me quite a set-down. I believe you would have liked her immensely!”

“Jared, what in the world …?”

“Do not be alarmed, I did nothing too outlandish!” He winked to reassure his grandmother. “I am only aware that had I behaved so to someone knowing my identity, I cannot help but believe they would have playfully rapped me with their fan and called me a shocking tease. It was quite diverting to be put in my place for a change.

“It made me wish to further the acquaintance. However, soon after she left the ball with her mother, and I had no opportunity to determine whether her indifference was only another creative attempt at catching a husband or a shocking decline in my wit and charm.” He doubted he would ever know the answer and was a little surprised that he wished it otherwise.

“Do not worry, I have not lost my wits,” he continued, striving to stay away from deeper ruminations. “Having an interesting, intelligent conversation with a female not intent on fawning on me was quite pleasant.”

“She sounds quite spirited,” his grandmother remarked cautiously.

“Yes, I believe she must be, but I own she was quite composed after our initial encounter. I am inclined to believe the set-down was a little out of character for her. She was quite reticent thereafter and never looked me in the eye. It was fleeting, but I thought you would enjoy knowing my evening had not been quite as boring as most.”

He would have been quite surprised to hear Lady Nicole making the same explanation to her little sister back in London!