Beguiling the Earl (2 page)

Nicholas was clearly enjoying himself at his expense. Somehow Kerrick resisted the urge to swear, but he couldn’t keep from casting a quick glance at Catherine. She was looking across the room at something, pretending not to be interested in their conversation. By the stiff set of her shoulders, however, he knew that wasn’t the case.

“I don’t intend to offer for her, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

Nicholas’s eyes narrowed. “From Worthington’s behavior, it’s clear he expects you to.”

Kerrick could sense every ear in the near vicinity straining to hear their conversation. Nicholas realized it as well and had kept his voice low.

Kerrick shrugged. “He’s a viscount and I’m an earl. He wishes to see his daughter marry well. Of course he hopes for a match.”

Nicholas frowned. “You didn’t seem inclined to dissuade him from that impression.”

He needed to call a halt to this conversation before it became even more uncomfortable. “It’s complicated,” he said, not wanting to get into the ties that bound their two families. “You can ask me about it later. For now, however, I promised Miss Evans a dance, and I fear she will be put out if I go back on my word.”

Catherine smiled up at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Just then the musicians finished their current piece and began to play the next one. He could see her surprise.

“Another waltz?”

“I didn’t promise just any dance.”

Fool that he was, his heart lightened when her eyes sparkled with her customary good humor. Thankful that she no longer seemed upset with him, he held out his arm to lead her out. She placed her small hand on his forearm and his heart threatened to soar.

Ignoring the frown that Louisa cast in his direction, he led Catherine to the center of the room. She didn’t hesitate for a moment but moved into his arms as though she belonged there. And damn his eyes if it didn’t feel as though she did.

He had a feeling his affection for Catherine was going to complicate his friendship with Nicholas and his wife. He’d suspected last fall that Catherine held a
tendre
for him, and the very last thing he wanted was to cause her any hurt. At the same time, he wasn’t ready to follow his friend’s lead into wedded bliss and would have to make it clear that there could be nothing more than friendship between him and Catherine. Later, though. At the moment he didn’t want to think about anything but the delightful young woman in his arms. The one whom, he told himself, he must think of only as a younger sister.

As soon as they started moving, she started talking. Telling him about the events he’d missed, the plays she’d seen. He couldn’t help but compare her to Rose Hardwick as he gazed down at her. Both were beautiful, but in entirely different ways. Rose’s beauty was earthy and obvious while Catherine’s beauty was delicate, almost ethereal. Her pale hair was piled high on her head in a complicated arrangement with wispy tendrils that curled around her face and neck. Her skin was creamy smooth and her eyes a vivid shade of blue he recalled only ever seeing on one other person—her brother, John, whom he’d met briefly at Nicholas and Louisa’s wedding. Louisa looked very much like Catherine, but her eyes were gray and seemed to reflect her more serious nature.

Looking at Catherine, one could be forgiven for expecting her to be the kind of person who held herself aloof and distant, but she was the exact opposite. She was warm and generous, a discovery that had surprised him at first. When Catherine smiled, she meant it. Her smiles weren’t put on for effect, and they certainly weren’t pulled out and used as a weapon to charm someone into acquiescing to her latest whim. Not like they were with most of the other women he’d met. Not like Rose Hardwick.

He found himself staring down at her in rapt attention as she recounted the lengths to which many of the young ladies had gone to attract the attention of a much sought-after suitor.

Halfway through one particularly amusing story, she stopped. Her brow furled. “You seem so serious.”

“Do I?” He didn’t feel that way. “I am trying to picture poor Mildred Markham falling in the Serpentine while trying to capture Lord Beckham’s attention. I’m sure he will remember her for quite some time.”

She laughed, the sound light and breathy, and he could see that heads nearby turned in their direction. Catherine, however, was oblivious to the interest she attracted.

“I really shouldn’t gossip. Their actions are no different than mine.”

He raised a brow at that. “You’ve fallen into the Serpentine while trying to gain someone’s attention?”

“Oh no,” she said with a firm shake of her head. “I did, however, embarrass myself when I wandered away to look at some of the flowers at Hyde Park last week.”

Kerrick remembered Catherine’s fondness for plants, particularly exotic ones, but she wouldn’t have found anything along Rotten Row to compare with the collection at Overlea Manor. “I fail to see how that could have caused you embarrassment.”

“I wandered quite afield and into a small copse of trees. I was fine, of course, but apparently a panic went up when I disappeared and a search party was arranged. Ten lords who were visiting the park deserted their companions to help search for me.”

Kerrick couldn’t contain his laughter as he pictured the scene. “I find it difficult to believe Louisa or Nicholas would have raised the alarm when they found you’d wandered off.”

“You know me too well,” she said, affecting an expression of chagrin. “However, I was with Lord Thornton. He doesn’t know of my fondness for plants and gardens. We were having a leisurely stroll when he stopped to greet a friend of his. When he realized that I’d disappeared, he assumed I’d been abducted and raised the alarm.”

She expected him to laugh, of course. The corners of her mouth had tilted up with unrepentant mirth and it was with great difficulty that he returned her smile. But her admission had wiped away his amusement. Why was he surprised that men were paying her court? Thornton was young and seemed innocuous, but he hated the very thought of the two of them together. They had made a striking pair when they were dancing, with their youth and blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks. He didn’t know the man enough to do more than greet him in passing, but he found himself hating him.

Her head tilted with curiosity when he didn’t reply right away, and he knew she was going to prod. Before she could do so, he said, “I hope your experiences so far have lived up to your expectations. I remember how much you were looking forward to your season.”

She sighed. The sound seemed so forlorn and unlike her.

“I admit I’ve been a little bored.”

Her admission surprised him. “I don’t have much experience with young women entering society, but I don’t think I’ve heard any of them describe the social whirlwind as boring.”

“Oh no,” she said, rushing to correct him. “Well, not precisely. There is much to do, and I have enjoyed many aspects of life in town, especially the theater. But how many balls and routs can one be expected to attend before they all blend into one another? I only wish…”

When she didn’t continue, he prodded. “You only wish…?”

She shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’ve been reading about how the gardens at Richmond Palace and Kew have recently been united, and apparently they’ve acquired plants from various naval expeditions around the world. Plants that cannot be found anywhere else in England.” She sighed again. “I was hoping to visit the gardens, but given Louisa’s condition she has been so tired of late and doesn’t want to commit to doing that much walking. And I hesitate to ask Nicholas since he spends much of his time these days hovering over my sister. I know he’d hate to be away from her for so long.”

It only took him a moment to realize what she was implying. “Louisa is increasing?”

“Oh no,” she said, a look of horror on her face. “I wasn’t supposed to say anything. It is still very early and they don’t wish to announce it yet.”

He leaned a little closer as he swept her across the ballroom floor and spoke in a low voice. “Your secret is safe with me.” Their eyes caught and held, and Kerrick had the odd sensation that he was drowning in the blue depths of her gaze.

It was then that he noticed the scent she’d chosen to wear. He’d so often seen her at the conservatory during his stay at Overlea Manor that he’d come to associate the scent of tropical flowers with her. Here, though, there could be no attributing her perfume to her surroundings. It was a light scent, yet still exotic and so completely her. It seemed to reach out and envelop him, and for several long moments the rest of the room fell away as he looked down at her.

He gave himself a quick mental shake of his head as he tried to remember what else he’d wanted to say. Oh yes, Kew Gardens. “As for the other, I’d be honored to escort you to the gardens. I even know someone who should be willing to act as your chaperone.”

Catherine’s face lit with excitement and her obvious joy made him feel as though he were ten feet tall.

“I knew everything would be better with you here.”

ooOoo

Catherine had already met the Duke of Clarington, a longtime friend of both Nicholas and himself, and his new duchess of less than a year. He wasn’t certain how she’d accomplished it, but the duchess had managed to turn Clarington’s head with relative ease during the past season. At the time, Kerrick had been amused by his friend’s torment when she’d seemed to favor another over him, but it had all turned out well in the end, and the two were as happy a couple as Nicholas and Louisa. Which, given the state of most marriages among members of society, was quite an anomaly.

The duke and duchess were deep in conversation with Louisa and Nicholas when they returned from their waltz. The duchess was taller than most of the women present, and her height, coupled with her red hair, made her stand out in any crowd. She was undeniably beautiful, but it was Catherine who held his attention as she informed everyone, with great enthusiasm, of their planned trip to Kew Gardens.

He dragged his gaze away from Catherine, the task more difficult than he would have previously thought, and turned to the new duchess. “Miss Evans mentioned that Lady Overlea would be unable to join us, so I thought I’d ask you to accompany us. She hoped to visit tomorrow, but we can make arrangements for another day if that would better suit your schedule.”

Louisa’s relief at not being asked to attend was clear, and he didn’t miss the glance the sisters exchanged. No doubt she was wondering if Catherine had told him about her newly expectant state.

“Tomorrow would be perfect,” the duchess said. “I’ve heard the gardens are lovely.”

Kerrick ignored the knowing smirk on Clarington’s face. He found he was actually looking forward to the outing. Not because he was particularly interested in plants or gardens—he’d never really paid much attention to them—but because it meant he would get to spend more time with Catherine. That thought should have worried him, but it didn’t.

“I know I wasn’t invited,” Clarington said, “but I think I’ll join you. Wouldn’t want to leave you outnumbered by women.” The gleam in his eye spoke of less noble reasons for wanting to join their party, and at that moment Kerrick regretted having teased his friend the previous year when he was finding it hard to resist the duchess’s charms.

Kerrick dismounted and handed the reins of his horse to the stable boy waiting outside Overlea’s town house. It was just past eleven, and in his quest to ensure Catherine enjoyed her day, he’d already been to Kew and back. He wasn’t sure why it was so important to him that he make her happy, but he had no doubt she’d be excited when she learned he’d arranged to have the head gardener himself conduct their tour.

She deserved no less. When he’d stayed at Nicholas’s estate the previous fall, Catherine had been a new resident to Overlea Manor. She had taken it upon herself to conduct an inventory of the plants Nicholas’s grandmother had collected and displayed at the manor’s conservatory. He’d seen firsthand how she would disappear for hours at a time, only surfacing from her quest to catalog the unnamed plants when dinner was announced.

A large, lacquered black carriage bearing Clarington’s crest was already stationed outside the house. When he entered, he found everyone gathered in the drawing room. Catherine was seated on the settee next to the duchess, the two deep in conversation. Louisa, looking as though she hadn’t slept at all the night before, sat in a chair placed at a right angle to them. Clarington and Overlea were conversing by the window, but it was impossible to miss the concern on the latter’s face as he glanced at his wife.

Kerrick accepted everyone’s welcome before joining the men. “Nicholas,” he said, greeting Overlea by his Christian name. Nicholas had never expected to inherit the title, and having lost both his father and older brother only recently, he preferred to be addressed informally by his close friends.

Kerrick saw the anticipation on Clarington’s face when he turned his attention to him. “Behave this afternoon,” he said, keeping his voice low so the women wouldn’t overhear him.

“Of course.” Clarington gave him a calculating look before adding, “After all, it’s the least I can do after you declined to poke fun at me last year about Charlotte every chance you got.”

Kerrick swore softly and Clarington laughed with glee. He turned to Nicholas, but his glib plea for sympathy died before the words were spoken. The look on his friend’s face almost had him taking a step back.

“You’re not courting Catherine,” Nicholas said, his voice laced with menace.

Kerrick was speechless, but only for a moment. “Who told you I was? She and I are merely friends.”

Nicholas shifted so his back was to the women who, fortunately, hadn’t taken note of their heated exchange. “Louisa’s worried that Catherine hopes otherwise. You would do well to disabuse her of that notion. Especially since everyone appears to be under the impression that you are all but formally engaged to Worthington’s daughter.”

A spark of anger, swift and hot, shot through him. “Everyone is wrong,” he said, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Make no mistake, if such a travesty were to happen, you would know about it. You, above all people, should know that I would never take advantage of an innocent—even when others demand I do so.”