A Lord Rotheby's Holiday Bundle (69 page)

Char rose and walked about her
chamber, then rushed back to resume her seat at his side. He
laughed at her inability to stay still.

“
No, Char. No banns yet. I
must still speak with her father. And there is one other small
problem.”

“
Problem? What sort of
problem?” She walked away in feigned disinterest.

“
The sort involving Lady
Grace having denied me. But that shall all be sorted out
soon.”

“
She did
not
. How could she deny
you?”

Alex rose from the sofa and walked to
the window. Charlotte’s chamber sat at the front corner of the
house, looking out onto Grosvenor Square. A crested carriage with
liveried outriders pulled into the drive.

“
They are home, Char. Shall
we go down to greet them? I should like to tell the whole of my
story only once. You can gloat to Sophie you know more than they,
at least for the moment. It could make up somewhat for being left
alone while they attend balls and such, shall it not?”

“
Oh yes, quite.” Char took
his hand and tugged him into the hall, dragging when he fell too
far behind.

~ * ~

Alex sat amidst the majority of his
family in the upstairs drawing room of Hardwicke House. Neil, his
younger brother, was still playing cards at White’s that evening.
And of course Richard was off in France or Portugal, or any number
of other places where the British Army were fighting Old Boney. But
Peter was present as the head of the family with their mother
Henrietta at his side, and all three of their sisters found perches
nearby to hear Alex’s news.

He had already informed them all of
his suspicions regarding the viscount’s health and regaled them
with details of his journeys. But now he would tell them of
Grace.

Of course, as she had previously heard
at least part of his story, Char smirked toward her elder sisters.
Alex smiled over the silent exchange between the girls. No one
would dare describe Char as mean-spirited, nor his other sisters
for that matter. They all loved each other dearly, notwithstanding
the occasional competition or familial argument. But they all loved
a good competition.

Peter sipped from his glass of port.
Alex thought his brother looked exhausted and silently thanked him,
yet again, for the encouragement to visit Somerton.

“
Alex, I cannot imagine
Lord Rotheby incapable of managing his business in Bath. He had no
true reason to come all the way to town.” Peter took another sip
from his glass and eyed his brother over the top of the glass. “It
is clear he chose to accompany you. So, why? What brought you to
London?”

Char remained in her seat, though she
clearly desired to burst into the center of the room and shout out
her news.

Alex took pity on her and cut straight
to the point. “I shall call on the Marquess of Chatham to request
his daughter’s hand in marriage.”

Cacophony broke out in the drawing
room.

“
Did I not tell you,
Sophie, Alex has such delightful news…is it not
wonderful?”

“
Married? We shall host a
wedding? Oh, my precious boy! Goodness, we ought to begin the
arrangements at once.”

“
You knew
that
and you did not tell
me, Char? You sneak, I shall never forgive you.”

“
Well, if Alex shall marry
this summer, there is no reason to rush things for me, Mama. One
more Season without accepting an offer will not hurt
anything.”

Over the din of the females, Peter
caught Alex’s eye. “Chatham? You wish to marry Chatham’s daughter,
Alex?” Concern etched his brow as he focused on Alex. The ladies
noticed Peter’s tone and quieted, all eyes turned to the two
brothers.

Alex nodded, his mind working to grasp
the meaning of Peter’s apprehension. “Yes, I shall marry Lady
Grace,” he asserted with finality. There could be no
misunderstanding amongst his family. He needed them all to be of
one accord.

Peter ran a hand over his chin.
Several moments passed in silence, while each brother held the
other riveted with his gaze and the ladies glancing from one man to
the other.

“
Are you fully aware of
the…the circumstances…surrounding Lady Grace’s departure from
London, Alex?” Peter always chose his words with great
care.

If she was to be his bride, Alex
wanted his family to know everything he could tell them. Well,
almost everything. He would keep certain details of their encounter
the night before he left Bath to himself.

“
I believe I am fairly well
informed. Lady Grace was compromised in London, and the man who
compromised her left her to deal with the shame alone. Chatham sent
her to stay with her aunt and uncle in Somerton, to keep her away
from the gossip mills.”

A chorus of indrawn breaths filled the
air as the female members of his family learned of the contempt his
intended had suffered. Peter gave no outward reaction, no sign that
Alex’s announcement made any sort of impact.

“
I further compromised her
in Bath. We had a very public…er, discussion…in the Pump Rooms and
I kissed her before everyone there.”

His mother looked scandalized.
“Alexander Jeremiah Hardwicke, you rake! I cannot believe you would
behave in such a manner. Your father and I raised you to act with
far more decorum—“

Peter interrupted. “Mama, let him
finish what he has to say.”

She looked to have a far more detailed
reprimand in store for him, but she allowed her son to
continue.

Alex waited for everyone to settle
down once again.

Char sat with her chin on her wrists
and her elbows digging into her knees, obviously hanging on his
every word and itching for the next juicy detail.

Sophie maintained her exacting,
correct posture and displayed a sense of ennui—which she then
destroyed with the impatience of her fingers tapping against the
arm of her chair.

Peter had not changed positions at
all, but continued to stroke the tip of his chin with absent-minded
fervor. “Go on, Alex. Finish your story.” He sent a warning look
around to his sisters.

“
After I kissed her, she
slapped me across the cheek.” Again, he was interrupted.

“
I daresay, you deserved no
less, Alex.”

“
She
slapped
you? How dreadfully
unbecoming.”

“
Good heavens, what a scene
you caused. What I would not give to have seen it with my own eyes.
I cannot
wait
to
tell Theodora Marlborough! She will simply die from the
scandal.”

Peter held up a hand, a signal for
peace. “Enough!” The sisters quieted once again, though Alex knew
by now it would not last for long. He determined to finish his
story as soon as possible so they could revel in their
excitement.

“
That evening, I met Lady
Grace at the Assembly Room and proposed.”

“
Oh Sophie, you will never
guess what happened next,” Char blurted out. A stern look from
Peter silenced her again.

“
She refused
me.”

Another refrain of gasps and mumbles
filled the room. Alex continued with a raised voice before he could
be interrupted again.

“
I made it clear to Lady
Grace I had every intention of providing her with the protection of
my name, that she would not suffer the same shame on my account.
And I traveled here to meet with her father and officially request
her hand in marriage.” He could see his sisters wished to interject
their questions and exclamations yet again, so he pushed forward.
“Lady Grace has not reached her majority yet.” Understanding dawned
throughout the room of what he implied. For once, no one said
anything for many minutes.

Then Peter stood. “It is late. Alex
has had several long days of travel. He needs his rest. Any more
discussion on the matter will wait for morning.” Char started to
object, but Peter stayed her with his hand. He turned to Alex. “Get
some rest. We will talk more in the morning.”

Thankful for the reprieve, Alex
nodded.

“
And Alex…it is good to
have you home.” Peter placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder and led him
from the room before the girls could stop him again.

It was good to be home, Alex thought.
Very good.

Chapter
Sixteen

The breakfast table of Hardwicke House
buzzed with excitement. Lady Grace Abernathy appeared to be the
conversation topic of choice, much to Alex’s
consternation.

He would prefer, in some ways, to go
about his business and make the marriage a reality. But his family
was not one to merely sit by and allow one of its members to handle
such matters on his—these things soon became family affairs. He
wouldn’t want his life to be any different.

It was soothing, even when it meant
constant interference he would sometimes prefer to do without. He
sat back in his chair to answer his sisters’ questions.

Char, of course, wanted specifics.
“Alex, is she beautiful? Tell us how she looks.”

He might as well indulge her. “She is
very beautiful. Lady Grace has long black curls and eyes so light
they are almost the color of ice—and she has the most perfect
English rose complexion to her skin. She’s very small, too. I
daresay the top of her head would only reach your shoulder,
Char.”

She smiled at his description, but
begged for more detail. “And does she dress in all the most current
fashions?”

Leave it to Char to be more concerned
with his bride-to-be’s appearance and clothing than her
personality. “You might ask me questions about Lady Grace herself,
you know. She’ll be part of our family soon. I am sure you’ll want
to know of her interests and talents, wouldn’t you?”

He was needling at her to procure a
reaction. Char would love Grace, despite any flaw or affliction she
may have. That was simply Char’s nature. But it was also in her
nature to want every sort of detail a typical young lady
not-quite-out in society ought to want.

She scoffed at his rebuke. “Goodness,
of course I want to know those details as well. I would get there
in time, you know. You should have a bit more patience with me,”
she scolded him, then returned to her previous luster. “So, tell me
about Lady Grace’s clothes.” Char leaned forward, her eyes
alight.

Alex shook his head at the
impertinence he both loved and loathed. “Her clothing—well, I
wouldn’t say her gowns are the absolute height of fashion, but they
are more than becoming on her. They’re modest, in pretty shades for
her complexion. Soft.” He might have told too much with his last
comment. If he knew her gowns were soft, he must have touched her.
Better keep moving before Char picked up on the hint he’d dropped.
“For anything more than that about her attire, you’ll have to
observe for yourself. I’ve told you enough on the matter for today.
But Char, when I bring Lady Grace to London, you should offer to go
on a painting excursion with her. She’s an artist.”

Thinking about watching Grace paint
beside the Cary River in Somerton made him wish she was with him
now, in London. He missed her company, though she usually was
either silent or railing at him.

“
Oh, how lovely! Lady Grace
and I shall paint together often.” Char’s elation emanated
throughout the breakfast room. “When will you bring her to London?
I do hope it will be soon.”

Mama joined them in the breakfast
room, and Alex was relieved to discover she would change the
subject. He had enough on his mind without trying to answer all of
his youngest sister’s questions.

When they finished eating, Peter rose
from the head of the table. “Alex, might I have a word with you?”
Unlike their mother and sisters, Peter seemed less than overjoyed
by his news. The duke maintained a dour expression as they moved
from the breakfast room to his library.

After the footman closed the door
behind them, Peter seated himself behind his desk. “Have a seat.”
Once Alex complied, he continued. “Do you know what you’re doing
here? Have you met Chatham before? He is not the most honorable
man.” Peter rubbed his fingers across his chin. “There have been
rumors about your intended.”

Alex’s ears perked up, but he
refrained from reacting too soon. “I’ve not met Chatham before.”
Did he want to know the specific rumors? He wasn’t certain. He
stared out the open window and listened to raindrops hit the panes
of glass for several moments. “What sort of rumors? Rumors about
her being compromised before she left London?” He prayed that was
the worst of it.

“
More than just
compromised.”

Alex’s head shot up.

Peter held his gaze. “Lord Barrow made
some claims one night at White’s, not long before she left Town.
Rumors of her compromise at his hands had already been making their
way through the gossip mill. His assertions added fuel to the
flame. He claims that she initiated the act. He implied that she is
fast—loose.”