His Reluctant Lady (5 page)

His gaze went to Mr. and Mrs. Morris
then to Ethan’s wife and Ethan’s mother before finally settling on
the object of his interest—Lady Richfield. Lady Richfield was, by
far, the loveliest lady in the room. He smiled and bowed as the
butler announced his arrival to the group. Once the butler left, he
found a chair near Lady Richfield and sat down, his heart racing at
being so close to her. He guessed she was a year or two older than
him, but the age difference was minor enough where it wasn’t
noticeable. He rather fancied a lady who had more experience than
him anyway. Who knew what fun she could teach him?

As the butler introduced him to the
group, his friend Ethan came down the hall, followed by his
scowling father-in-law, the Duke of Rumsey. Christopher wanted to
offer a word of encouragement to his friend, but Ethan instructed
the butler to show everyone to the dining room.

Christopher turned his attention to
Lady Richfield. When she looked in his direction, he smiled,
thinking she got lovelier and lovelier every time he saw her. Just
as he opened his mouth to offer to be her escort, she hurried over
to the duke.

Before he could intervene, Ethan’s
mother approached him. “It’s good to see you again. I understand
Lord Roderick wasn’t very nice to you a couple years ago,” she said
with a wink. “However, given how impish you used to be, I’d say
that Lord Roderick did you a kindness.”

Used to her teasing nature, he took no
offense at the reminder of that horrible time in his life, though
he didn’t much appreciate the way Lord Roderick smirked at him.
Lord Roderick might have possessed a title, but he was hardly a
gentleman. Christopher settled for a mild shrug, refusing to let
him know he could intimidate him, even to this day. He had to deal
with Lord Roderick from time to time anyway, thanks to the fact
that he was friends with Perry. And Perry had way too much time on
his hands to intervene in Christopher’s life. If only Perry had a
wife…

But the likelihood of that happening
was slim, considering how much bad luck he had when it came to
meeting ladies. It seemed that as soon as any lady took the
slightest interest in him, she was whisked off and married to
someone else. First, there was Lady Roderick, prior to the scandal
that trapped her to Lord Roderick. Then there was Ethan’s wife who
was about to make Perry’s acquaintance before Ethan’s mother got in
the way. What Perry needed was a full-proof plan to get a
wife.

“
Christopher,” Ethan’s
mother said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

His gaze went to Agatha who gave him a
triumphant look as the duke led her out of the room. Intrigued, he
watched her. He knew he hadn’t mistaken her interest in him at the
ball, but he shouldn’t have underestimated her determination to
play hard to get. Little did she know that he was up for the
challenge. Returning Agatha’s triumphant look with a charming
smile, he noted the slight furrow of her eyebrows and knew he had
succeeded in making her wonder what he’d do next.

Satisfied, he turned his attention back
to Ethan’s mother and extended his arm toward her. “I’d be honored
to escort you to dinner.”

And so he did. The meal in itself
wasn’t all that interesting, but how could it be when Lord Roderick
insisted on regaling everyone with his chess maneuvers. The Duke of
Rumsey and Mister Morris were more than happy to inflate his
conceit even further by congratulating him on his mental prowess.
Had it not been for the delicious food, Christopher wouldn’t have
been able to stomach the whole ordeal.

He’d held out for the hope he might get
a chance to talk to Lady Richfield after the meal, but such was not
the case. He had to endure more idle chatter between the duke, Lord
Roderick, Mister Morris and Ethan in the den before they decided to
join the ladies. But to his dismay, Lady Richfield managed to slip
out of the house, claiming she didn’t feel well.

He didn’t believe that excuse for a
minute. She was avoiding him. Despite her undeniable attraction to
him, she was avoiding him. He had to do something about that. But
what? His gaze went to Lady Roderick and a smile formed on his
lips. Of course. If there was anyone who could help him, it was
Lady Roderick. Lady Richfield might be hesitant to talk to a
gentleman, but he suspected she’d be more open to another lady,
especially when the lady was as kind and unassuming as Lady
Roderick. And he’d make sure to pay her a visit in the very near
future because the sooner he did, the sooner he’d break through
Lady Richfield’s wall.

***

A week later, Claire Buford, the Lady
of Roderick, tapped the edge of the missive and glanced out the
drawing room window. She glanced at her husband who held his hands
out to one-year-old Perry who waddled toward him.

“
You can do it, son,” he
encouraged, waving Perry over to him.

A smile crossed her face, and she
folded the missive and set it on the table. She went over to Nate
and sat next to him. “He gets better every day,” she said, pride in
her voice.

“
You can’t be surprised
since he has me for a father,” Nate replied with a grin. “Though, I
will add his mother only enhances the good traits he was born
with.”

“
Since you chose to
compliment me, I’ll ignore the smug look on your face,” she
teased.

Perry grasped his father’s hands, and
Nate let out a cheer. “That’s my son!” He lifted their son onto his
lap and turned to her. “How could you think I’m being smug? Is it
wrong for a father to appreciate his child?”

“
It’s the way you appreciate
him. You gave yourself credit for the way he turned out.” Before he
could add anything, she said, “And yes, I’m aware you gave me
credit, too.” She kissed his cheek before she ruffled Perry’s dark
hair.

“
To be fair, he wouldn’t be
here if it weren’t for you,” he teased, a twinkle in his eye. “Who
was that missive from? Your sister?” He nodded toward the
desk.

“
Oh, umm…” She hated lying
to him, but if he knew the truth, he’d forbid her to answer it. He
might even go so far as to get his friend Perry Ambrose involved.
But Mister Robinson had helped her out when she needed it. The
least she could do was hear him out. Clearing her throat, she
offered what she hoped was a convincing smile. “It was from a
friend. She wants to go to the Western Exchange. She doesn’t know
if she’ll buy anything. Mostly, she wants to look around and see if
something catches her fancy.”

“
Is this
Catherine?”

She hesitated to say yes, but it
wouldn’t be a complete lie.

Perry grabbed Nate’s hair and laughed
when Nate winced.

Relieved her son had just given her an
excuse to change topics, she chuckled and lifted him from Nate’s
arms. “I think it’s time for him to take a nap.” She stood up and
bounced him in her arms. “Why don’t you go to White’s and I’ll take
a trip to the Western Exchange?”

“
I suppose it is long
overdue that I play chess with Perry.” He rose from the settee and
kissed her. “I just hope I manage to go easy on him. I’d hate for
him to lose his confidence.”

“
To hear him talk, you’d
swear he was better at chess than you.”

He let out a playful snort. “The poor
man honestly believes it.”

“
I’ll see you when you
return, my lord.”

She gave him another kiss and left the
room, eager to get dressed so she could leave the house. While her
lady’s maid brushed her hair, she recalled the instructions in
Mister Robinson’s letter. He had asked her to go to Catherine’s
house to meet him. She knew that he was friends with Catherine’s
husband. All things considered, that was the safest place to meet
without causing undue attention. But what did he want to see her
for?

Once her lady’s maid was done helping
her get ready, she had the footman get the carriage. By the time
she arrived at Catherine’s townhouse, her curiosity was getting the
best of her. As soon as the footman opened the door, she
practically ran to the front door. Before she made a fool of
herself and pounded on the door, she took a deep breath and calmed
down enough so she was able to manage a few polite taps.

Once she was invited into the house,
the footman led her to the drawing room. To her surprise, Ethan and
Mister Robinson were waiting for her. She knew Mister Robinson
would be waiting for her, but she had no idea Catherine’s husband
would be there too. She thought Catherine might be there since
Mister Robinson asked her to meet him here. Pushing aside her
confusion, she stepped into the room and waited for the footman to
leave.

“
Care for some tea and
biscuits, my lady?” Ethan asked, motioning to the chair.

She sat down and accepted the cup.
“Thank you.” She glanced at Mister Robinson who sat across from her
in another chair. Looking back at Ethan, she asked, “How is
Catherine?”

“
She’s doing well,” Ethan
replied. “She’s resting upstairs. She’s been tired ever since she
found out she’s expecting a child. She takes a nap this time of day
now.”

“
I suppose my being here at
this time is on purpose?” Claire guessed.

“
I thought it might be best
if we talked in private,” Mister Robinson said.

Ethan approached the doors. “You owe me
for this,” he told his friend.

He gestured that he
understood.

“
All right.” Claire waited
for Ethan to leave them alone before she set the cup back on the
table. “What do you wish to discuss, Mister Robinson?”

“
Call me Christopher,” he
insisted. “I never was one who stood on formality. Sure, I must do
it out there in the world when others are watching. But here when
there’s no one around? I say let’s throw aside the restraints and
be friends. I’ll refer to you as Lady Roderick if you wish, but I
insist you call me Christopher.”

“
Very well. You may call me
Claire.”

“
Good.” He placed his hands
on his knees and leaned forward. “I need your help with Lady
Richfield.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Lady Richfield?
Was she the lady here the other night at the dinner
party?”

“
Yes. She’s the most
beautiful creature who ever graced the Earth.”

Her eyes grew wide. “You fancy
her?”

“
What gentleman
wouldn’t?”

“
Well, granted she’s got
money and is attractive, but…” She hesitated to
continue.

As if he could read her mind, he asked,
“What can I offer her? Not much, I’m afraid. Unless my guardian
dies without a son, I’ll get his title, but I’m not eager to see
him go. What I really wish is that he’d get a wife so he has
something better to do than watch over me.”

“
You’re not being fair to
your guardian. He watches over you because he loves you and wants
what’s best for you.”

“
I’d still feel better if he
found someone else to love and watch over.”

Shooting him an amused smile, she
sighed. “What do you want me to do? You can’t want me to introduce
Lady Richfield to your guardian.”

“
No, of course not. The last
thing I want is for her to fall in love with him. I intend for her
to fall in love with me.”

“
And you want me to help
with that?”

“
Yes!”

“
But how?”

“
I was hoping you’d find a
way to talk to her, perhaps at the next ball? Find out what she
enjoys. Where are the places she goes to? I need to get through her
wall.”

With a sigh, she sat back in her chair.
“I barely know anything about her. I don’t even know how to
approach her.”

“
You’re a lady. She’s a
lady. Just discuss lady things.”

A slight chuckle rose up in her throat.
“Not all ladies enjoy the same topics. But all right, I’ll do what
I can to find out more about her.”

“
You’re a wonderful person,
Claire. Much too good for your husband.”

“
Now, Christopher, that’s
not fair. My husband is a good man and I love him very
much.”

He shook his head in sympathy. “You’re
a brave lady to put up with him.”

“
Brave is right. He’d have
my head if he knew I was talking to you.”

“
I am in your
debt.”

“
You are not. As far as I’m
concerned this pays you back for helping my sister avoid marriage
to the wrong gentleman.”

“
Have it your way then. We
are even, but if I ever need a favor or if you do, then I hope we
can rely on each other?”

She rose to her feet and nodded. “I
suspect we’ll be friends even if my husband will never
approve.”

Chuckling, he stood up and bowed. “It’s
ever a pleasure to be in your presence.”

“
I can’t promise anything. I
might not find anything useful.”

“
You will. You’re a smart
lady.”

Hoping she’d be able to meet his
expectations, she left the drawing room.

Chapter Five