Authors: Wendy Vella
“‘I’m sorry for my behavior this morning’ would be a good place to start.”
“I’m sorry for my behavior this morning,” she said, repeating his words and looking like she’d swallowed something vile.
“You don’t like to apologize, do you, Phoebe?”
Her nose wrinkled as she thought about his words.
“Not particularly. In fact, I try not to do so unless absolutely necessary, Lord Levermarch. But I’m aware that you were right when you stated my behavior was petty.”
“I have never seen you petty before, Phoebe. It was something of a shock.”
She laughed, which made her lovely eyes sparkle and her face light and Finn wondered if any man could resist this woman when she looked that way.
“And I had expected you to roar your condemnation for my behavior at me, so we were both shocked, Lord Levermarch.”
“I don’t always roar, Phoebe, contrary to what my brothers say.”
Finn saw something flash in her eyes at the mention of his brothers and then she lowered them.
“I like your brothers, my lord. They are very nice, well-mannered men.”
“Yes, I believe that after years of hammering manners into them they are beginning to show some promise.”
She looked at him for a few seconds, and it was a steady look, unlike the other woman of society who usually lowered there eyes or looked at his chin. Phoebe really studied him.
“Do you know, Lord Levermarch, I believe this is the first time we have conversed without insulting each other.”
Finn thought about that. “I believe you are correct, Phoebe. Perhaps you should show this side of your nature more often.”
“My nature! Why is the fault for our previous encounters solely mine?”
He lifted an eyebrow, which was enough to irritate her further.
“You are as much to blame as I, with your pompous manner and self-righteous beliefs, Lord Levermarch.”
It seemed their short truce was at an end.
“I’m not pompous or self-righteous, merely assured, Phoebe. There is a difference.”
She folded her arms. “You’re arrogant and have your own way far too often!”
“You will break my heart if you keep saying such mean things.” Finn enjoyed teasing Phoebe, as the result was really quite something.
“You do surprise me, my lord.”
He elevated one eyebrow again as she glared at him.
“In what way, Miss Langley?”
“I had not, until now, realized you had a heart.”
“I do believe that hurt,” Finn said, solemnly placing a hand on his chest.
“Here’s what I think,” she interrupted him. “I think you like women to be simpering and cowed, which I hasten to add I am neither, and never will be.”
She was, however, magnificent, he thought, but as he liked to have full use of his limbs, he kept that thought to himself.
“Your future wife, if such a paragon exists, has my undying sympathy.”
“Tell me, Miss Langley, have you always reacted so vehemently to people questioning your behavior?”
Surprise flashed across her face and Finn wondered if someone else had raised this topic with her before, presumably a parent or sibling. It was obvious Phoebe did not take well to criticism or censure, no matter how warranted.
“Willful or spoilt, Phoebe, which one are you?” Finn mused, knowing he should shut his mouth but didn’t seem able to.
She hissed, which drew the eye of the elderly Lady Russell in front.
“Excuse me, Lady Russell, I was about to sneeze.”
The transformation from raging vixen to sweet debutante was startling. Finn had never been graced with a smile from Phoebe like the one she was bestowing on Lady Russell. Ridiculously, he now wanted one.
“That’s alright, my dear, we all have little lapses,” the lady said, patting her hand. She then looked at Finn.
“Smart move sitting next to this one, Levermarch. Sharp as a whip with both intelligence and beauty, and so sweet-natured,” she added before once again facing the front.
Sweet natured…Phoebe?
The smile dropped from Phoebe’s face as she turned to once again snarl at him.
“I have no idea why we are having this conversation, Lord Levermarch. Furthermore, I wish for you to keep your distance from me in the future.”
“Alas, in that I fear you are to be disappointed,” Finn said calmly. “As your brother-in-law is my best friend.”
“Yes, that is certainly one of life’s mysteries, as my brother is usually an excellent judge of character,” she muttered.
“I can be quite a nice person when the occasion warrants it.”
She snapped her teeth together hard. “I have no further wish to sit next to you, my lord, hurling insults back and forth. Therefore, I wish for you to move seats for the remainder of the musical, before I truly say something I’ll regret.”
“You haven’t already?” Finn said, facing the front once more. He did not like causing scenes and in fact avoided them. He was not a game player nor did he deliberately antagonize people yet he was doing just that with Phoebe and could not seem to stop himself.
“If you will not do the gentlemanly thing and move, then I will.”
She had moved past Will to take the seat next to Livvy before Finn could stop her.
“Move over here, Levermarch, before some other idiot takes the space,” Will hissed, patting the seat Phoebe had recently vacated.
“Are you calling me an idiot, Ryder?” Finn moved into the seat and glared at his friend. Why the hell could he not just have a reasonable conversation with that woman? They always seemed hell bent on taking a piece out of each other.
“Picture having Major Dumble or the elderly dowager Duchess Pomley sitting between us. It would mean a night spent being nudged and yelled at.”
“True,” Finn said, trying to relax into the hard seat and ignore the warmth beneath his buttocks and how it had become warm.
“Care to tell me what the hell that conversation between you and Phoebe was about?” he said, still looking to the stage where the musicians were now warming up.
“No.”
“Well, then, I’ll just point out that you are my staid, correct friend, the one who never places a foot anywhere without first checking every direction to assure it will not land in manure. Yet with Phoebe, your usually stellar character traits seem to have deserted you and by the dark look on her face I would say you are now up to your neck in it.”
Finn sighed because nothing else really seemed to fit the moment. Will was right, damn him. He wasn’t behaving as he usually did and it was her fault; she made him stop thinking.
“Stellar sounds better than staid.”
“Avoidance, Finn? Another first for the man who believes in straight talking,” Will said pleasantly. Finn suspected his tone was because he did not want to alert his wife to the conversation they were having.
“Just remember what I said about appearances being deceiving, my friend. Phoebe is a very special person and what you see every night is not necessarily the real woman Livvy and I know and love.”
Finn wrinkled his brow at that cryptic statement. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that behind a person’s façade could lay insecurities and a past that you have no knowledge of; in fact, I am not party to all of it I’m sure,” Will added slowly.
“You’ve been around women to long,” Finn grunted. “You’re talking in circles.”
“Sssh.”
“That was a very loud ‘sssh’, darling.” Will took his wife’s hand as she glared at both him and Finn.
Leaning back in his chair, Finn saw the back of Phoebe’s head. Did she have insecurities and things in her past that had molded her into the woman she was today?
“Excuse me. Oh, I do apologize.”
Finn stood to let the latecomer, Miss Wooller, pass as the gap between the seats was two narrow to just turn, and his legs were too long. Beside him, Will did the same.
She passed Livvy, and Finn leaned forward to watch her settle in a chair next to Phoebe. He hadn’t known that Miss Wooller and Phoebe were friends yet they must be if they were now seated together. He supposed she was pretty in a graceful almost regal way, but seated next to the she-devil, everyone faded into the background.
“Finn, I need to tell you something that has been churning around inside my head all day.
Finn straightened in his seat at the serious tone in Will’s voice. “Tell me.”
“I saw Alex coming out of a gambling hell today, and after what happened previously, I believed you should know.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“You’re late, Hannah.”
Phoebe watched her new friend settle herself before she answered.
“Father knew I was stalling in my room so in the end he just dragged me out of it and into the carriage.”
“I think I would like to meet your father.”
Hannah looked at the stage as Madame Picuoult hit a high note.
“Dear lord, she just perforated my ear drums,” she complained, pressing a finger into her ear.
For the remainder of the musical Phoebe kept her eyes on the performers, however her mind she had on something else. Was she spoiled? Perhaps before her parents died she had been, but not now surely? Yes, she did not like to be told off, yet show her one person who did? And he had no right to speak to her that way as they barely knew each other.
“Oh lord, tell me that is it and we are not just being teased with a short break,” Hannah whispered as the music stopped. “Tell me it is over,” she moaned.
Phoebe pulled her thoughts from Lord Levermarch and looked once again at her friend. “Yes, it’s over you heathen, and now we can leave these uncomfortable seats and circle the room.” Phoebe took her friend’s arm as they both rose, and after chatting briefly with Will and Livvy, she ignored Lord Levermarch, and they left to walk into the crowd of milling guests.
“Good evening, ladies.”
Phoebe smiled at Alex as he approached. He wore a waistcoat of emerald and ivory this evening and he should have looked outrageous, but instead looked handsome.
“Mr. Hetherington, how wonderful to see you again.”
“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, taking her hand and bowing over it. “I have made contact with a woman who is a French seamstress. I will set up a meeting when it suits you both.”
“Wonderful,” Phoebe said, and then they chatted about the weather as an elderly couple passed by.
“Come, we shall move to the corner over there,” Alex said, nodding towards the rear of the room. “We can chat and have our backs covered, so we need only worry about someone approaching from the front.”
“You make it sounds as though we are about to go into battle, Alex.”
“Phoebe, if my elder brother hears what I am doing, we will be at war. Have no doubts on that score.”
Looking behind her, Phoebe saw Lord Levermarch over the top of several guests’ heads. His eyes met hers briefly before he turned away. Yes, he would be formidable when angered, she was sure.
“Would we commit some ridiculous indiscretion in the eyes of society if we moved through those doors to take in a much needed breath of clean air instead?”
Phoebe looked to where Hannah was pointing and could see no reason for them not to step outside for a few minutes.
“You two go ahead and I shall procure you both a glass of that noxious, sweet concoction the hostess was bragging about when I arrived,” Alex said. “Then it will give me a reason to join you outside.”
“I can hardly wait,” Hannah drawled, taking Phoebe’s arm after he had departed.
They smiled and nodded, making their way to the doors, and then slipped through.
“I miss the country at times like this.” Hannah took a deep breath as they reached the stone balustrade.
“I miss it, too,” Phoebe agreed as they walked along the stone balcony to look down at the gardens below minutes later. “I miss the freedom of walking or riding when and where I like. I miss Henny and Giblet but most of all I miss the night sky,” she added.
“I thought you couldn’t ride?”
“I said I was hopeless, not that I couldn’t ride,” Hannah amended. “It looks different to the city sky, Phoebe, don’t you think?” she added, looking out into the darkness.
“Before I answer that I must know who Henny and Giblet are,” Phoebe said, releasing Hannah to brace her hands on the balustrade and peer down into the darkness below.