Tainted Bride (6 page)

“I see.” Her tone held just the right touch of doubt.

“As I said, you see entirely too much.”

She smiled, but it didn’t touch her eyes. The smile might have been for his benefit or the group of people who stepped onto the veranda. She waited for the group to move away. “Did you know Jocelyn was a close friend of mine? I know much of what transpired between you two was kept quiet, but she came to me after you broke off the engagement.”

His body stiffened at the mention of the woman he’d once planned to marry. Rage replaced his earlier emotions.

She smiled more kindly at him. “She came to my home and cried out her story. When she was finished, I told her I was very sorry for her. I was sorry. Sorry she had been such a fool. Sorry she had such low character, she thought so little of herself and she would give herself away with no thought of honor. Sorry I had misjudged her. I asked her to leave my house and cut off our friendship. She called me terrible names before my brother intervened. It was an ugly scene. Until that moment, I had not realized how important it was to be able to judge a person’s character.”

His anger ebbed. “A valuable lesson.”

“Indeed.”

“I had not realized anyone else was hurt by Jocelyn’s behavior.”

“We have something in common, my lord.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Dory waved a gloved hand and pushed back a wayward curl. “None of what transpired was your fault, my lord. You should forgive yourself and perhaps, find someone you can trust to marry.” She turned and left him on the veranda, giving him no chance to respond.

* * * *

White’s Gentleman’s Club was crowded when Daniel and Thomas arrived late in the evening. They found a small table in one of the parlors and ordered brandy.

“So, what did you think of my goddess?” Thomas’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

Daniel lowered his glass and looked at his long-time friend. “I think I do not care for you calling her that.”

Thomas laughed. “I suspected as much. You, my friend, are smitten. The question is, will you do anything about it, or will you continue to let that light-skirt you were engaged to ruin your life?”

Pure fury bubbled in his chest. His instinct still told him to defend his ex-fiancée, but he shrugged and steadied his emotions. It was, after all, the truth. “I’ll marry eventually. I have to, but it will not be Sophia Braighton. I will find someone with whom I can have an agreeable marriage. I shall leave Sophia for someone else. I would just prefer if it were not you.”

“You are a fool, Dan. I saw the way you looked at her and the way she looked at you. She is going to haunt you for the rest of your life as your one big mistake if you do not pursue your interest.”

His gut tightened and a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his neck. “You may be right.” He took a long swallow of brandy. “However, I should rather be a fool privately, than to have my stupidity displayed before all of London once again.”

Thomas shook his head. “What do you suppose possessed Michael to leave London? You don’t really think he would run because of being caught with the Burkenstock girl, do you?”

Daniel sipped his brandy. “I spoke to him a few days before the incident and I had the impression, he was going to offer for that silly chit. She is quite rich and not terribly hard to look at. I’m not sure why he ran. He did mention something about an opportunity with some grain he was going to buy, in hopes of raising enough money to do some work at his estate in Essex.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Maybe he wants to come to the marriage negotiations with more than empty hands and no prospects. He had better hurry. She is rich, quite pretty and none too smart. She may find herself another before he returns.”

“If she is so fickle, he is better off without her.”

Tipping back his glass, Thomas finished his drink. “The girl has no reason to wait. From what I know, he left her no assurances. It’s not at all the same as what Jocelyn did to you. You had signed a contract. She knew you would marry her. Hell, I think you loved her. She was not the kind of woman who would ever have been faithful and she was not smart enough to be discreet. You are right about one thing—you are better off without Jocelyn.”

“I did not love her,” he said softly. “I thought I did for a moment, but it was only lust and desire. She was beautiful and charming. She might have been discreet, but I was just too diligent in my desire to see her. If I had kept away, I would never have discovered them. She claimed to be under the weather. I thought to surprise her and spend the evening in her company, even if it was playing backgammon in the parlor, anything to be near her. What a fool I was. When I arrived, I found her in the parlor, but she and Swanery were not playing backgammon. Their game has been played between men and women since the beginning of time.”

“My God, man, you never said anything about having caught her red-handed. What did you do?”

Old anger boiled. He still saw his beloved under that sod on the chaise. “What any English gentleman would do. I bowed, punched Swanery in the jaw, turned and left the house.”

“What did Jocelyn do?”

The ugly hatred he still harbored for the woman bubbled to the surface. “She screamed horrible names at me. She used words I had never heard a woman utter, even in the gaming hells from women of questionable virtue.”

“I don’t think there was much question.” Thomas referred to the whores’ virtue.

“No and neither was there in regard to Jocelyn. She was every inch the harlot that those women in the gaming hells were. At least with a prostitute you know what you are getting. Jocelyn was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. And you are correct, I’m much better off without her.

“Michael will turn up at some point, either to claim Miss Burkenstock, or to find a new chit with a fortune. He has no choice. He must repair the damage his father has done.”

“You’re right, of course.” Thomas called for another brandy.

Sophia was dressed and ready when Dory arrived the next morning for a ride in the park. Dory’s rich velvet royal blue riding costume fit her snugly and showed off her curves. Sophia wore a similar outfit, though hers was in a dark wine.

“Sophia, you and I shall need crops to smack away the admirers. We are the perfect riding duo.”

“You look lovely.”

“Hello, Lady Dorothea.” Daphne entered in a green morning dress ready to set out to make her calls.

“Will you be joining us in the park, my lady?”

“I’ll follow in my carriage, but leave you once we arrive. I have several errands to attend to and a few calls to make. Two footmen and Sophia’s maid will accompany you for the remainder of your ride.”

“I have also brought a footman and my lady’s maid, Countess. I feel we shall be very safe indeed.” Dory's voice lilted with sarcasm.

Daphne pursed her lips. “Dorothea Flammel, I have always liked you. I think you are an original, but do not try to charm me as you do the dunderheads in the ton, or I shall change my opinion of you. You are smart and that is why I approve of the friendship emerging between you and my niece. Do not make me rethink my view.”

Dory didn’t flinch. She curtsied bowing her head. “I would never dream of insulting you, Lady Collington. I think you are also quite extraordinary. I’m glad you approve of Sophia’s and my new friendship. I would hate to have to go behind your back to continue to see your niece.”

Not even the countess resisted a chuckle. “Shall we go, girls?”

Once mounted, Sophia said, “You are too bold for your own good, Dory. She’s not called the cruel countess for nothing. She can ruin your reputation if she chooses.”

Dory shrugged her straight shoulders. She sat a horse as if born riding. “Your aunt is fierce, but fair. Look what she did for Elinor. If she didn’t admire Elinor in some way, she would never have put her name and yours in jeopardy by helping. I would never do anything that was really bad form, therefore I believe I will always remain on the ‘cruel countess’s good side.”

Riders, walkers, and people in carriages out to see if there was any gossip hindered their progress at the gates of the park.

Aunt Daphne said her goodbyes, leaving three footmen and two maids to follow an appropriate distance behind Sophia and Dory.

They finally got away from the larger crowd. Sophia kept her eyes forward in spite of the fact that everyone seemed to be watching her. “Will Elinor’s reputation make a full recovery?”

A loud sigh accompanied Dory’s shrug. “Not unless Michael Rollins returns and offers for her. If someone else offered and she accepted, that would do as well. However, I don’t think she will accept another this season. Elinor can seem like a muttonhead, but she is smarter than she lets on. She is also very loyal. She fancies herself in love with Sir Michael and, until she is certain he will not make good on his advances, she will have no other.”

“How can you be so sure?” Loyalty to a man who left in her time of need made no sense.

“I have known Elinor since the cradle. Our families’ country estates are next to each other. When we were ten, she stood outside my house all day waiting for me to apologize for calling her a name. She was so sure I would apologize, she would not leave. Eventually, the guilt got to me and I ran outside and begged her forgiveness.”

Sophia pictured the two little girls working out their argument. She loved the idea of a lifelong friend even if she had none to compare. “What did Elinor say?”

“She hugged me and said she had already forgiven me. We are the closest of friends. When I tell you she will wait for Sir Michael until all hope is lost, you may believe it.”

“Ladies,” The Earl of Marlton’s deeply familiar voice, cut into their conversation. “You are the most stunning pair I have ever seen.”

He rode atop a black stallion. His black hat and coat were impeccable and he grinned down at them from his enormous horse. Even his cravat remained tied to perfection.

The great beast threw his head back and stomped his foot, while blowing out his great nostrils.

“I think your horse would prefer if you did not stop to chat, my lord.” Sophia kept a cautions eye on both man and beast.

Daniel jumped down and handed the reins to his footman. “I’m sorry if Mangus frightened you. He is a bit high spirited and much prefers the country to London.”

“What brings you to the park this morning, my lord?” Dory asked, smiling her most wicked smile.

“I decided a bit of air and exercise was in order. You had mentioned you would be taking a morning ride. I confess, I had hoped to meet you, since Miss Braighton and I were engaged in an interesting conversation last evening, before the countess’s desire to cut the evening short.”

No. She must have misunderstood. He couldn’t have come to the park expressly to see her. “Oh, I’m sure your evening continued unhindered, my lord. Don’t all men go to their clubs and drink until dawn after the ballrooms empty out?”

His smile was bright and his eyes lit up with mirth. His full laugh rumbled out.

She was drunk from the sound.

“We do, of course, but I felt quiet unsatisfied.”

The word unsatisfied triggered Sophia’s temper. Men always looked to their own satisfaction with little care about others. She gripped her reins too tight and her horse pranced. “In that case, I’m sure there were those who might have taken care of that, as well.”

Something about him made her speak when she should be quiet. She wished the words back immediately. She had said too much the night before and now she felt exposed. If only he hadn’t come to the park. Tears pressed behind her eyes and her throat tightened. She pressed her finger to the corner of her eye and commanded herself not to cry.

He took a step back. “Is it an American custom to insult new acquaintances, or is this just an inclination of yours, Miss Braighton?”

She turned her head to avoid his gaze, dismounted and allowed a footman to take the reins. She walked a short distance away. She cursed her loose lips. Now she would have to apologize and she was not even sorry. She had only stated the truth.

He took up space in a way no one else did. Standing behind her, his warmth surrounded her.

“You’re angry with me?” She rubbed her arms.

“I’m confused by your obvious anger.”

“I suppose I should apologize.” Once she banished her unshed tears, she turned to face him.

“Only if you are sorry and I can see from your eyes you are not.” His smile made her stomach do a pleasant flip.

“I do apologize for my outburst, my lord.” She used the practiced tone of her days at Mrs. Mirabelle’s School for Young Ladies.

He frowned. “I accept, even though you do not mean it. I believe it was very hard for you to make the attempt and I’ll be the bigger man and not challenge your sincerity.”

“Thank you.” She felt her mouth turning up in a smile in spite of her embarrassment.

“Would you like to tell me why you have such a low opinion of my sex?”

“No.”

He smiled brightly. “I have noticed that you say ‘no’ without further explanation quite a lot.”

She felt her cheeks warm. “I believe ‘no’ is a complete sentence and needs no other qualification, my lord.”

Dory interrupted. “The two of you are causing quite a stir.”

Carriages and riders alike slowed to get a good look at whomever his lordship was speaking to so intimately.

Dory took Sophia’s arm. “Perhaps this conversation might continue in a few days at Lady Cecelia’s ball. I do believe both Miss Braighton and I will be there. I’m sure you will not miss your own sister’s debut, my lord.”

“I’ll be there.” He never took his eyes from Sophia. He bowed to them both, launched himself into the saddle of the beast he called Mangus and trotted away without another word.

Sophia stood for a long time, staring out over the lush trees of the park. Dory was like a long lost sister, but she wished she were alone. She could not face him at his sister’s ball. She had allowed him to kiss her and lost her temper. He must think her a fool. She must learn to keep her feelings to herself especially in the face of a man she barely knew.