Lord Hughes paused in the act of raising the loaded fork to his lips. “Said that, did he?” A ruminative look entered his eyes as he stared at the steak on his fork. Then he shrugged and set to doing justice to his plate.
The butler quietly exited, certain that his lordship was not inclined to address him further.
Upon hearing that Mr. Hawkins had left him a message, Lord Hughes had instantly and correctly concluded that Lady Pomerancy had already apprised his grandnephew of his sudden visit. It remained to be seen whether her ladyship had also enlightened Mr. Hawkins of the reason behind it, but knowing Lady Pomerancy as he undoubtedly did, Lord Hughes thought he could depend upon her ladyship for doing him that kindness. He snorted in amusement. Of course she had, if for no other reason than to annoy him.
Lord Hughes sat back from the table, feeling all the benevolence of a gentleman comfortably sated, and plied his linen napkin to his mouth. “But I am one move ahead of you, dear Agatha,” he murmured to himself, and laughed.
It actually suited him very well that his grandnephew had been warned off him, for it saved him the trouble of finding a tolerably polite way of broaching the topic. Now he considered himself to be free to plunge right into the matter without any delicate maneuvering. He’d look over the offerings of Bath, and coupled with a few eligible prospects that he had decided upon before leaving Town, he would have his grandnephew affianced before Peter could blink twice. With any luck, he would be able to return to London and its amusements within a solitary month.
Lord Hughes rose from the breakfast room feeling himself to be in charity with the world. After inquiring after Lady Pomerancy, only to be informed that her ladyship had not yet risen, and not being one to wait patiently about, Lord Hughes decided to leave the town house.
A half hour later he descended the front steps of the town house. He had refused the footman’s offer to order around a carriage and set out at a leisurely pace, jauntily swinging his brass-headed cane.
Lord Hughes actually enjoyed to walk, a surprising idiosyncrasy in one whose reputation for self-indulgence and pleasure-seeking was a byword. However, his had been an active childhood spent in the country, and though his lordship had long since abandoned the energetic pursuits of his youth, he had retained his early habit of seeking the outdoor air in this gentler fashion.
Lord Hughes’s perambulations carried him in the direction of Queen Square. The fall of rain during the night and the subsequent passing of carriages had churned the streets around the square to mud, but the pavement walks were relatively dry, and a number of ladies were also taking the air. His lordship’s eyes rested appreciatively on several tolerable female figures. Belatedly he bethought himself of his purpose in coming to Bath, and he began glancing at faces, as well, rationalizing that he must be able to point out to his grandnephew that there were eligible ladies to choose from of suitable attractiveness and age.
It was with this thought in mind that he courteously stepped aside to give a pair of ladies right-of-way, when his glance fell on the face of the elder of the two. His mind suffered a shock. “Amanda Dower?”
The lady glanced around at him, smiling in polite inquiry. Her eyes widened in startled recognition. “Dear Lord! It surely cannot be you. Is it indeed you, my lord?”
Lord Hughes burst out laughing and approached her with his hands held out. “My dear lady, you have not changed in the least,” he said in an affectionate tone.
The lady blushed, taking his hands in her own for a brief moment. With a pretty air of confusion, she said, “My lord, pray allow me to make you known to my daughter. Evelyn, this gentleman is Lord Hughes, Viscount Perigree. He—he is an old friend.”
Evelyn stared at her mother in astonishment. She had never seen that lady so obviously out of countenance.
“Ah, little Evelyn. I remember you, of course.” Lord Hughes shook her hand, then held it between both of his palms. He swept a glance over her. “But you are a young lady!” Lord Hughes gave a regretful sigh, shaking his head. “Alas, one does not realize the passing of the years. She is a lovely gem, Amanda.”
Evelyn murmured something polite. She hardly knew what she said as she continued to absorb the strange effect that the gentleman was having upon her mother. However, she suspected that it did not actually matter, for Lord Hughes seemed to be as equally engrossed with Mrs. Dower as that lady was with him. He had scarcely glanced at her before his eyes had returned to Mrs. Dower.
“I cannot contain my curiosity a second longer, my lord. How came you to be here—in Bath! And after so many years!” exclaimed Mrs. Dower.
“I wish that I might say that I came to renew my delightful acquaintance with you, Amanda, but in all truth I had no notion that you had made Bath your home,” said Lord Hughes. His voice held almost a caressing note. “If I had known, I might have come down from Town before this to try the waters.”
Mrs. Dower blushed again. “Really, my lord!”
“We were once such good friends that you addressed me by my Christian name. It would please me greatly if you did so again. Dare I hope that you recall it?” said Lord Hughes softly.
Mrs. Dower’s blush deepened. “Of course I do—Horace. I—I cannot believe that
you
have come for the waters. Why, you were used never to be ill a day of your life.”
“Of course I have not,” agreed Lord Hughes, smiling widely. “No, I have come to pay a long past due visit to my sister and grandnephew. Perhaps you are acquainted with Lady Pomerancy and Mr. Peter Hawkins?”
“Why, I had forgotten that Lady Pomerancy and you—-. It has been so very many years, you see, and the connection had quite faded from my memory,” said Mrs. Dower apologetically. “But of course we are acquainted with her ladyship and Mr. Hawkins. In point of face, Evelyn—”
“Mr. Hawkins and I have developed something of a friendship,” Evelyn interposed, fearing what her mother’s indiscreet tongue might inadvertently reveal to this urbane, worldly gentleman. She sent a quelling glance in her mother’s direction.
“I see.” Lord Hughes’s lazy, half-amused glance rested briefly on Evelyn’s face. He had not been behind in catching the warning light in the young lady’s swift look, and his curiosity was stirred. “This is a happy coincidence, indeed. I am presently staying with Lady Pomerancy and my grandnephew in Lansdown Crescent. Perhaps you will do us the honor of joining us at luncheon? I should like very much to renew my treasured acquaintance with you, Amanda, and I am certain that Miss Dower and Peter will have any number of friendly topics to relate to one another.”
“I am sorry, my lord, but—” Evelyn began.
“I will be delighted to accept your invitation to us, Horace. I have been behind in paying my respects to Lady Pomerancy, in any event. She asked me to tea not long ago and I begged off,” said Mrs. Dower.
Lord Hughes smiled at her. “She scares you to flinders, does she?”
Mrs. Dower laughed somewhat shamefacedly, casting an appealing look up at Lord Hughes. “It is bad of me, I know. But I have always been such a coward.”
“Never mind, my dear. I shall be present, and I shall guard you against the gorgon,” said Lord Hughes expansively. “Are you shopping this morning? I should be very happy to accompany you if you had no objection to it.”
“Oh, none whatsoever,” Mrs. Dower assured with a soft smile.
“We are just returning from the Pump Room, my lord, and had not intended to visit the shops this morning. Perhaps another time,” said Evelyn politely.
Lord Hughes’s lazy glance again touched her. Evelyn had the distinct and unpleasant conviction that he had looked straight through her. She bit her lip, disliking that he had so easily discerned her suspicion of him even though she had spoken with perfect propriety.
Lord Hughes took Mrs. Dower’s hand and slipped it comfortably into the crook of his arm. Smiling down at her, he said, “I shall accompany you home, then. And your lovely daughter, of course. Perhaps later you will allow me to provide escort to Lansdown Crescent.”
“That will be perfectly agreeable, Horace,” said Mrs. Dower, the brightness of her eyes but a foil for the brilliance of her smile.
Evelyn had no choice but to follow her mother and Lord Hughes in their slow progression to the town house. The couple ahead indulged in much laughter and shared reminiscences. It was gradually borne in on Evelyn that Lord Hughes had once been a great admirer of her mother’s and that the lady had not been entirely indifferent to the gentleman.
The amiable memories continued to flow over refreshments, while Evelyn listened in growing amazement. She could see how affected both Lord Hughes and her mother were becoming by the reminiscing, Mrs. Dower even wiping aside a sentimental tear for the wonderful days long since past. They would soon be reduced to maudlin weeping at this pace, Evelyn thought, appalled. She lifted the comfit tray and offered it to Lord Hughes. “Perhaps another, my lord? They are from my mother’s own recipe.”
Lord Hughes was sufficiently distracted. He cast a benevolent glance at Mrs. Dower as he accepted the treat. “I suspected that it was so, for these delicacies could only have come from the hands of an angel.”
While Mrs. Dower blushingly disclaimed such high station, Evelyn smiled to herself, reflecting that Cook would be astonished to have heard such an accolade rendered to her strong broad hands.
Evelyn was relieved when the conversation thereafter remained in the flattering vein that she was accustomed to hearing from her mother’s admirers. It made it so much more comfortable when she was not put into the position of politely smiling at anecdotes about personages that she had never known or of witnessing what she had labeled astonishingly mawkish behavior.
Lord Hughes remained until it was time for the ladies to change for luncheon. When they had returned downstairs, having put on attractive straw bonnets and fashionably cut carriage dresses, he professed himself honored to be escorting two such lovely ladies. He bowed gallantly over both their gloved hands. However, Evelyn took note that he pressed a light kiss onto her mother’s fingers before releasing them, an action that brought the high color into her mother’s face.
Evelyn had much to reflect upon during the short drive to Lansdown Crescent. She could not recall a time when her mother did not have admirers, some of whom, she knew, would have pressed their suits if they had been given the least encouragement. However, Mrs. Dower had never favored any of her admirers over the others, and Evelyn had taken for granted that though her mother enjoyed male admiration, that lady was also disinterested in changing her widow’s status.
Then Lord Hughes had appeared, out of the blue and out of the past, and suddenly her mother had metamorphized into a blushing and obviously smitten lady.
Evelyn was not certain what her opinion should be on the matter. She felt dismay and disapproval on the one hand because it had happened so very swiftly. It was shocking at the very least to discover that her mother had once held a
tendre
for anyone else but her own father. Evelyn had difficulty adjusting to that. Even the romantic bent of her own nature could not entirely accept it, at least not all at once.
Yet, when she looked at her mother’s happy face and saw the singular attentions that Lord Hughes paid to her mother, she felt like an old jealous cat.
Surely it would not be such a bad thing if her mother remarried. After all, Mrs. Dower was of an age where such opportunities did not come round as often as they might once have done, and certainly her mother would need someone to look after her when she herself had wed. Evelyn knew that Mrs. Dower would not easily countenance living with a son-in-law, if for no other reason than that she preferred her own freedoms and amusements.
Evelyn thoughtfully regarded Lord Hughes, trying to quell the wary antagonism that she felt toward the gentleman. Lord Hughes was well dressed, though perhaps his shocking pink silk waistcoat was a bit flamboyant and his collection of beribboned fobs an obvious affection. However, there was nothing about his stocky person nor in his manner to suggest he was other than the worldly, idle gentleman that he appeared.
His lordship was obviously a mature gentleman of some means so that Mrs. Dower would not go wanting for any little thing. In that light, it was absurd to feel anything but the most charitable of emotions toward a gentleman who could provide both companionship and material comforts for her mother.
Of course, Evelyn thought with a small frown, she was making assumptions. Lord Hughes might merely be indulging himself in a light flirtation with a lady he had once admired in order to relieve the tedium of a familial visit. In that case, Evelyn was categorically against any sort of acquaintanceship with Lord Hughes, for she did not wish her well-meaning but sometimes foolish mother to be hurt. There was nothing she could say at this early date, however, for to be fair to Lord Hughes and her mother, she must give his lordship a chance to prove his intentions.
Such were Evelyn’s tumbling thoughts when the carriage arrived in Lansdown Crescent, and they descended from it to go inside. Lord Hughes had had the presence of mind to send a message round earlier that he would be bringing two guests for luncheon so that the ladies would not be unexpected. Informed that Lady Pomerancy awaited them, Lord Hughes and his guests were ushered into the drawing room.
Chapter Seventeen
Lady Pomerancy sat with regal posture in her wheelchair. She looked round as the trio entered, a thin smile on her lips. Her brows lifted in the slightest arch. “Ah, Mrs. Dower. I am honored indeed that you chose to join me for luncheon.”
Mrs. Dower was at once thrown into apprehension, her sensitive ear having detected a sarcastic undercurrent in her ladyship’s polite greeting. “It has been such an age since I last saw you, my lady. I—I trust that you are well?”
Lord Hughes placed his hand under Mrs. Dower’s elbow and guided her to a comfortable chair. “Her ladyship is always well,” he said easily. He was rewarded by a grateful look from Mrs. Dower and an obelisk stare from Lady Pomerancy.