Lady Adventuress 01 - His Wayward Duchess (21 page)

Lord Byron
was so good as to peel her an apple, while asking after Lady Louisa, whom he considered a great friend. He was even so bold as to offer her strawberries from his estate, and Holly was bold enough to accept one, amused to think the sort of stories the exchange would spur.

“And have you known Lady Louisa long?” Holly asked.

“Why, yes – she did me a kindess when I ran into her by chance at Cambridge,” the gentleman said, though he did not elaborate. Something in his smile made Holly certain that whatever trouble Lady Louisa had rescued him from had been of a suitable improper nature.

“Indeed, I mean to go abroad later this year and she has recommended a great many things one ought to see when traipsing through Europe.”

Holly laughed softly. “If your adventures are half as marvellous as hers, it will be time well spent.”

“Ah, but I ha
ve heard that you have seen a great number of adventures right here in London.”

“Alas, you’ll put me to the blush, my lord. I had no notion I’ve become
so infamous as all that.”

“I rather think infamy is far preferable to obscurity! It has made you very popular with the poets. Why,
possibly I shall write of you too, some day.”

His smile was very charming, and Hol
ly supposed it earned him a great number of admirers whenever he cared to unleash it. “Are you a poet, then?”

He chuckled at that. “I shall let you be the judge of that. How shall I start it?
O rapturous lady, whose sprightly eyes…
”

They continued in that vein for some while, indulging in a delightful conversation. Holly
supposed that afterward there would be the devil to pay – for Strathavon, looking over at her from his band of admirers, looked fit for a very cutting vengeance. She found, however, she was not in the least concerned.

If only she could have spent the rest of the party conversing with the poet, she would have been perfectly content, but he was soon replaced by Lo
rd Myles Wooley, who appeared to have sought her out deliberately.

“My dear Lady Strathavon!
There you are. I must own I feared you would not be joining us – I know a great many ladies have a fear of water. But we shall see if you can’t sit in my boat – I am a dab hand with the oars, you know.”

Holly suspected that he was well aware of her dislike of him, and was therefore doing his very best to vex her. He engaged her in some tiresome narrative of his university rowing adventures, which seemed to wind on and on without a blessed end in sight.

Every now and then, as he went on speaking, his gaze would drift shame
lessly down the neckline of her gown.

Lord Myles was nothing if not lugubrious, but he was also fairly cunning and so she was obliged to put on every air of polite amusement, even as she longed to push him into the lake.

At last, s
he was joined by Verity as they all made their way to the boats, only to find Strathavon heading her way, accompanied by the very woman who had given her such a burning glare when driving past her on the street.

To say that the D
uchess of Strathavon and Lady Charlotte Holland took an instant dislike to each upon being introduced would not have been entirely accurate. Their antipathy was already thriving before a single word of introduction had been uttered.

All the magic of the previous night was shattered as
Holly wondered angrily what Strathavon thought he was about, flaunting his Cyprian in front of her like that. She felt angry and mortified, wondering if this was his childish revenge for Lord Byron, though with a great deal of effort she endeavoured to keep these feelings off her face.

Thankfully, Lady Charlotte soon headed off to see about a glass of lemonade, still accompanied by the duke.

“What an absurd concoction,” Holly remarked acidly to Verity, observing Lady Charlotte’s new bonnet, a woven straw creation with a long pale blue veil attached and an ostrich feather curving the brim. “A veil! It is entirely the wrong thing for boats. You’ll allow I know boats though I may not always know the very latest fashion in bonnets. If it should rain, the thing will collapse in her face.”

“It looks to be very dear,”
observed Verity. “Surely, forty shillings at the least.”

“Then she was sorely overcharged.
I’m pleased she did not stay. I fear that if I’m obliged to talk to the woman further, my good conduct shall not hold,” Holly said, narrowing her eyes.

“
Was she rude to you? I believe she is considered somewhat vulgar.”

“It is not the gossip that offends me. I find myself by far superior to the effects of common talk,” said Holly, endeavouring to level her most benevolent glance upon Lady Charlotte, who was watching her over her glass of lemonade. “It is merely that I find Lady Charlotte a most pernicious woman. Now, I do think we had better go into the boats – Sir John is waving to us.”

*

They carefully picked their way across the uneven dock and towards the waiting boats.

“Here, my dear Holly, let me help you,” said Avonbury, handing Holly into the boat, which swayed a little in the water.

“Thank you, Avonbury,” Holly said cheerfully. “How kind you are. It would be a great shame to topple in and ruin my parasol.”

She shift
ed about a little, and opened the parasol as Verity came to sit opposite her.

“Ah, Sir John, it is
very good of you to take pity on a widow,” said a familiar voice from the dock. “And look, Lord Avonbury is here too. I trust you’re well, Avonbury?”

Holly looked up just in time to see Lady Charlotte imperiously extend her hand to Sir John to be helped into the boat. Her smile, turned on Lord Avonbury, was particularly c
loying, and Holly was surprised to notice that he had gone remarkably pale.

She wondered what might have been the matter – for there was undoubtedly some tension between them. In fact, Lady Charlotte seemed to be enjoying the earl’s expression very much.

The widow took the seat in the prow looking entirely at her leisure. Avonbury took the seat next to Verity, his expression strangely tight, and Sir John sat beside Holly.

For the most part, Lady Charlotte seemed disinclined to speak to anyone but Sir John, which
made it very easy for Holly to pay her no mind at all.

They had done several
peaceful rounds of the lake and were drifting pleasantly when Holly turned to Sir John with her most fetching smile.

“I beg that yo
u let me try my hand at rowing,” she said. “I used to be very good at it on the lake at home.”

Sir John looked to Avonbury uncertainly.
“Holly, I am not certain –”

“Pray
, do not worry. You can always take over if I should row us the wrong way. Do be obliging.”

“Very well,” said the gentleman
, a touch reluctantly. “Though I protest it might not be entirely fitting.

“Fitting!”
echoed Lady Charlotte, sounding appalled. “It is no such thing. Why, don’t you dare take the oars, Lady Strathavon. You will sink us all!”

“I can’t imagine
how you mean for me to do that,” Holly twinkled at her, her voice perfectly sweet. “Sinking has nothing at all to do with rowing unless one is rowing into cliffs, and there are none here. Now, hand me the oars, Sir John.”

She handed her parasol to Verity
, looking expectant and the baronet handed over the oars doubtfully.

There was a splash of water as Holly swirled the oars in the lake.

“These are somewhat lighter than I expected they would be.”

Avonbury chuckled at her and shook his head. “My dear Holly, you are a veritable romp! Shall we row on three, then
? Let’s see how quickly we can reach the middle of the lake!”

“Oh, do
give them back, Lady Strathavon,” Lady Charlotte was getting visibly angrier. “You have had your jest and I daresay you’ve successfully displayed your downright want of address. No further exhibition is necessary.”

“Jest?
I haven’t had any jest at all!” exclaimed Holly. “Very well, Avonbury, on three then. One, two, three!”

The two pairs of
oars lifted out of the water: there was a splash, and water flew.

Verity’s squeal of surprise and mirth was
followed by a shriek as some of the water landed on Lady Charlotte’s straw bonnet.

“Lady Strathavo
n, that is the outside of enough!” exclaimed that woman in a skirling voice, shooting to her feet, face flushed. “You have ruined my bonnet beyond repair.”

The boat rocked precariously, and Lady Charlotte gasped, fighting to keep her feet.

“I’ve done no such thing,” Holly said, looking up at her with great disinterest. “But I would advise you to sit back down. The boats can be quite unsteady.”

“How dare you –
” So great was Lady Charlotte’s outrage at this perceived impertinence that she shifted unsteadily, rocking the vessel sharply to the left once more.

Losing her balance, the lady floundered a second, before plunging into the
cold green-brown water.

“Whoa!” exclaimed Sir John, automatically gripping the sides
in an attempt to steady the vessel.

“Lady Charlotte! By Jove
!” exclaimed Sir John, to a chorus of gasps and exclamations from the other boats. All eyes were riveted on the spectacle being presently enacted. In the water, Lady Charlotte was splashing and calling for help.

“Come,
Avonbury, let us move the boat closer. Sir John, do try to grip her hands – she might not be able to swim.” said Holly. “Oh dear. What an awful way to take the waters.”

As Sir John pulled th
e lady out of the lake, dripping and gasping, Holly and Avonbury rowed for shore, calling out replies to enquiries after Lady Charlotte’s wellbeing.

Holly noticed that
Avonbury was good enough to give the woman his coat, though it did little to improve her sopping appearance, or her temper. The ruined feather dripped morosely into the boat.

“It is
all your fault,” accused Lady Charlotte, glaring at Holly, once she was warmly ensconced in the coat, lake water gathering in a puddle around her feet. “I have never been so mortified in my life!”

“My fault?
I fail to see how. I told you that you had better sit down, did I not? I think you are overwrought,” Holly replied calmly. “Sir John did very well, pulling you out as quickly as he had done. His coat is ruined now, I daresay.”

“
’Tis nothing,” the gentleman said politely. “I am only relived that you are safely back on board, Lady Charlotte.”

“Well! Thank you
, Sir John.
You
are undeniably a gentleman,” sniffed the lady, and refused to engage in further conversation until they were safely back on shore. Once they had landed on the dock, Lady Charlotte’s friends instantly rushed to her side to assure themselves of her continued wellbeing. Lady Charlotte appeared to be in a passion over her ruined bonnet and impromptu swim.

Verity
lingered at the landing, wringing her hands with concern, her eyes on the baronet. As soon as he managed to excuse himself from Lady Charlotte, Verity hurried over.

“Sir John, a
re you alright? You were so quick to rescue Lady Charlotte…” Holly didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as they moved out of earshot, but it seemed very promising.

Disembarking the boat with
Avonbury’s help, Holly was surprised to find her husband already at her side, looking greatly disapproving.

He moved her with the merest suggestion of a touch at her
elbow, leading her away from the others. “A word, my dear.”

Holly rather thought it would be several
words, and all of them infuriating.

“It was awfully good of Sir John to fish
her out, don’t you think?” She remarked, refolding her shawl around her shoulders. “Everyone seemed entirely at a loss. Especially in the other boats – but I think Verity was impressed by his quick thinking. I saw her expression when they were fishing out Lady Charlotte.”

“I expect,” said the duke, “that this is
all your doing? What in the blue blazers were you about? I think I am beginning to get a sense for your unique brand of mischief, Holly.”

“Then you will
know that I had nothing to do with this particular fix,” Holly replied crisply. “I merely tried my hand at rowing – it is entirely Lady Charlotte’s business if she decided to dive for shore. It was a bit much, actually,” Holly said. “But that hardly matters.”

“And what were
you doing, trying your hand at the oars?” His Grace asked silkily. “Are you considering running away and joining His Majesty’s Navy?”

“Why,
I was rowing. And no – I think the navy wouldn’t be at all to my taste. Oh dear – I expect she will give me the cut direct now. A shame, but I think the
beau monde
will be understanding.” Strathavon could not help but notice that his duchess did not look even remotely apologetic.