Lord Greyton's Fall From Grace (Lords of Avalon Novella Series) (3 page)

“I hope you saved your last waltz for me, Miss Brackenridge.” He bowed
stiffly
before Grace.

“I – I am sorry, Lord Marston, I did not
.
All
my remaining dances are taken.”

“Perhaps next time
we meet,
Miss Brackenridge,
”
Lord Marston’s frosty tone
reflected
his
unhapp
iness
with the situation.

Lord Marston bowed and turned to leave, but not before h
is
angry gaze rested first on
Grace and
moved
next
to
Owen.

Owen’s hand instinctively went to Grace’s elbow
.
“I believe this
is our waltz, Miss Brackenridge,
” h
e
drawled as he
smiled down at her.

“It is, Lord Greyton.” She smiled
happily as she gave him a nod.

Owen led her onto the dance floor
.
“Grace, Marston seemed angry
.
Do you often dance with him?” Owen asked
with concern
.
He did not like the
menace the man
clearly
showed toward them both.

“No, never if I can help it
.
He is one of my father’s friends, and I must say I find his company quite uncomfortable
.”
At Owens look of alarm, she hastily added, “He is always a gentleman, I assure you, Owen, but there is something about the man I do not like.”

Owen nodded
.
He could not say much
.
He had no real claim to Grace, even though at this moment he felt he did
.
He fully intended to
be
able to lay claim to Grace soon
.
He decided to forget about Marston and gave his full attention to the beauty in his arms
.

They sought refreshment once again after their waltz, and meandered onto the veranda
.
There was
no sign of Charlie and Meg
, though Grace saw them exit the French doors while she and Owen were finishing their punch.

Owen refrained from taking Grace into the dark gardens.
He did not trust himself
to only kiss her this time
.
He wanted far more
.
And he knew he would have to offer for her and marry her before he could have
all that
he wanted
.
He leaned
back
against the verand
a railing and studied the beautiful
woman before him
.

“Will your father allow you to take a ride in the phaeton with me tomorrow?
” He added hastily,
“
W
ith your maid of course
.”

“I believe he will, Owen
.
That sounds lovely.”

“I thought we would venture to the quay.”

“Wonderful
!
I haven’t been
to the Quay
since my return
.
I so missed the
North Devon
coast while in London.”

There was no one else about on
the veranda
.
The last dance was
underway
.
Grace was
lovely
anytime
, but in the moonlight, she resembled a goddess; her golden brown hair reflected the light
from the lanterns
, her eyes were dark and luminous
.
Her rosy
lips drew hi
s gaze
.
He straightened and stepped closer to her
.
He gazed into those dark eyes. “Grace, may I kiss you again?”

“Yes.” She gave him a slight nod as she
took a half step
closer to him
.

The kiss they shared
was tender
and
gentle
.
They each
savored and drew
it out
.
Until Charlie and Meg’s voices could be heard coming from the garden
path
.

Owen and Grace quickly stepped apart
.
Grace saw
Charlie
place
Meg’s hand upon his arm
.

She
smiled to herself
.
It seemed she was
enamored of Owen, and her
friend
, Meg,
appeared to
be
enamored of his best friend.

“I think I should
return you to the ballroom, Grace.
”

“Very well, Owen.” She smiled as she placed her hand on his arm
.
Charlie and Meg
entered right behind them.

Owen called promptly at two o’clock
the next afternoon
.
The couple sat in the drawing room with Grace’s father for twenty minutes before they left for their drive
.

Owen’s phaeton was a smart
new yellow and black conveyance
pulled by a striking pair of blacks
.
Grace’s maid Jenny sat in the back
.
Grace sat next to Owen
.
He
drove
them
toward Hartland Quay
.

“I will be leaving for Italy in less than two weeks, Grace
.
You remember I am a member of the Avalon Historical Society.”

“I remember, Owen
.
Italy
!
How long will you be gone?” Grace asked
, trying to hide her disappointment that he was leaving
.

“About three months, I’m afraid
.
Lord Wincanton, Lord Amesbury
,
Lord Elveston,
Charlie and I have been commissioned to do some extensive research
on some ruins recently discovered
south of Rome
.
One
ruin
may even be a Temple
.
Now that you have returned, I must say I am sorry I shall be gone so long.” He smiled wistfully at Grace
.
He
truly
did not wish to leave Grace
.
He was
now
determined to woo her and marry her.

The ribbons of her bonnet flapped in the
breeze
that grew stronger as they neared the quay.
She captured them and held them
against
her breastbone
.
Grace returned his smile
.
“I wish you weren’t going to be gone for three months, Owen, but it sounds like a grand adventure, and I think you would be sorry to miss it.”

Owen was torn
.
He wanted to go to Italy
and
had anticipated
going until
he saw
Grace
last evening
.
He
longed
to explore the ruins.
The excavation in Italy was an incredible opportunity
but
he didn’t want to leave Grace
.
He had a peculiar feeling
about going to Italy.
N
ormally
Owen
trusted his feelings
on matters
;
yet this time he told himself
his hesitation was because what he and Grace had was
so
new
. He reasoned he would have to make the remaining days before his departure count, to ensure Grace would be waiting for him
upon his
return.
H
e
reminded himself he made a
commit
ment
to go
to Italy
on behalf of the Avalon Historical Society.

“I would miss the Italy trip, Grace
, b
ut I will also miss you while I am in Italy
.”
He winked at her.

“I will have to make certain that you miss me terribly while you are there.”
She grinned at him.

He laughed
.
His tone grew serious as he said,
“I already know I will miss you a great deal, Grace
.
You won’t have to try too hard.”

Grace tingled
all over
when Owen’s eyes dark
ened
.
She noticed how sensuous his lips looked at that moment
.
Knowing
all too well
how
his lips
felt against hers, she realized she wanted him to kiss her
again
.

Grace
turned her attention to
the view as they neared their destination
.
The roar of the
relentless pounding of the waves
against the
large and jagged
rock
s
far
below t
he
cliffs
and the cry of the gulls
soaring above
filled her ears
.
The
cliff
top
s
and surrounding moorland
were carpeted in summer green
.
The sun was shi
ning, the breeze, though strong,
was warm.
It smelled fresh, salty and clean the way only the coast could
.
The ocean
, dappled with sunlight,
shimmered blue beyond
.
It was clear enough that the isle of Lundy could be seen off the coast
.
The day was
lovely!

Grace’s maid, Jenny, announced she would
remain
in the phaeton while they walked the path atop the cliffs
.
She confessed she was not much of a walker
.

Owen helped Grace from the phaeton
.
He placed her hand upon his arm
.

Grace inhaled the fresh sea air
.
“I so missed the sea
.
The view is still as beautiful as I remember.”

“I find the view enchanting.” Owen grinned as he looked down into Grace’s eyes
.
He witnessed a pink blush stain her cheeks
.
Her eyes were bright, her lovely smile entranced him.

“Does Libby still ride along the quay in the mornings?” Grace asked.

“She does
.
I often join her
.
Before Father started feeling poorly, he rode with her
occasionally
.
Libby loves her morning ride
.
I fear
Aunt Priscilla will never understand Libby
.
My sister
takes after Father and
me
, not only in her love of exercise, but in her quest for knowledge
.
She is a fine sc
holar
.
Do you read much, Grace?
”

“All
of
the time, Owen
.
There’s not much else to do at Radley
.
Father is
often
busy
.
I even managed to find time to read while I was in London
.
I grew so very tired of all the social affairs.”

“I can only take London in small doses
.
I have to go several times a year out of necessity, but generally I do not tarry in Town long
.
I am a peace and solitude man, I’m sorry to say
.
I prefer the country, and to be at home, here in Devon, actually
.
I hope you do not
find me
too boring.
”

“
Of course I do not
find
you boring
.
Don’t ever
apologize
for
wanting to stay in Devon over visiting London
, Owen
.
I
happen to agree with you
.
I did meet
a few
people who I can truly call friends while in London, but I must say
, for the most part the ton is a harsh lot
.
There are many places I wished to be
, Hartland being foremost in my mind,
rather than
attending
the endless round of parties and social events
with my Aunt
.
I wanted to return to Devo
n months ago,
”
Grace confessed with a smile.