Newport Summer (15 page)

“Nothing? Is that what you think? It will be all over Newport by the time dessert is served this evening what
a gallant fellow you are,” Audrey said sardonically.

`By dinner? Shall we bet on that? If the rumor is your mother’s doing, I’ll wager we hear of it before we even
sit down for dinner.” Gannon’s teasing tone was back,
whatever shadow she’d imagined now banished.

“What shall we bet? Twenty pounds?”

“You can wager twenty pounds. I’ll wager a kiss.”

“If I win, I get twenty pounds. If you win, I’ll give
you a kiss. Hmmm” Audrey pretended to contemplate
the wager. “All right, I accept” The prospect of kissing
Gannon again sent a delicious shiver through her. Their
heads were so close, she could kiss him right now if it
weren’t for her mother standing on the curb waiting for
them. They’d already tarried by the carriage overlong.

Audrey wasn’t one to enjoy shopping, not the way
the other women in Newport enjoyed it. But today, she
was enjoying shopping immensely. Purchasing gifts for
Gannon’s family was infinitely more entertaining than
shopping for a never-ending procession of gowns. They
strolled the length of the Casino shops, studying store
windows and popping into shops that caught their attention. At one store, they purchased two sets of stereoscope slides depicting the sights of Newport and New
York City for Andrew. They made a last stop at Worth’s
boutique, where Audrey helped Gannon select lengths
of fabric for Moira and trimmings for his greataunts.
While they made their selections, Gannon regaled them
with tales of his beloved greataunts’ eccentricities.

Audrey and her mother were promised for luncheon at Caroline Astor’s at two o’clock. Violet tried to persuade Gannon to join them. “Caro won’t mind another,
especially when it’s you”

But Gannon refused. “I am promised as well. I told Lionel Carrington I’d meet him at the Reading Room. I’ll
drop you off, though”

The idea of arriving in Gannon’s carriage with
Gannon himself aboard placated Violet. Audrey gave
Gannon a knowing look. He smiled back. They were
co-conspirators at the moment.

At the entrance to Beechwood, Gannon handed them
down. “I’ll look forward to the dinner and dancing at
the Elms later tonight. Thank you for the help shopping.”

“Are you sure you won’t reconsider, Camberly?” Violet inquired one last time.

“I am certain.”

“Very well, then. I see a friend I must greet. Audrey
darling, don’t be too long.” Violet swished off, calling
to a woman under the enormous shade trees.

“She’s insatiable,” Gannon joked lightly.

“Again, my apologies.”

“No, truly, I don’t mind.” Gannon brought her gloved
hand up to brush it lightly with his lips. “You have good
parents, Audrey. I loved both of mine, and I miss them
every day. Love them they way they are, and be glad you
can do it.”

Audrey blushed and looked away. “You’re too good
to be true, Gannon.”

“Until tonight, Audrey.” Gannon dropped her hand.
“I’ll be looking forward to winning the wager.”

“You’re mighty cocky,” Audrey shot back. But it was all he had to say to ensure that the wager was all she
thought about the rest of the afternoon too. She was starting to desperately wish she’d lose.

By eight o’clock that evening, her wish came true. Her
mother had proclaimed Gannon’s noble acts throughout
lunch, careful always to mention that she’d learned all
this while he escorted them shopping. After lunch, they’d
made the daily parade up Bellevue Avenue in Caroline
Astor’s carriage, stopping to share the latest news with
others. When Audrey and her parents arrived at the Elms
for the supper ball, the drawing room was already abuzz
with stories of the earl. By the time Gannon arrived,
all those assembled were about ready to pin a medal of
honor onto his chest.

“I see you’ve lost,” Gannon whispered discreetly into
her ear after a gentleman stopped by their group to inquire about Gannon’s family and how much they must
miss him while he was abroad.

“Yes, I do believe I have,” Audrey conceded quietly,
turning to face him, a little smile playing coquettishly
on her lips.

“I’ll look forward to collecting my reward later this
evening.”

The look he gave her was half flirtation and half something else that Audrey couldn’t name. Whatever it was, it
darkened his eyes and created such a longing in her that she didn’t want to wait. She wanted to drag him out to the
balcony and kiss him right then.

Dinner was torturous. To Audrey’s dismay, they
weren’t seated anywhere near each other. The hosts had
arranged to have Gannon seated next to their visiting
young niece in a last-ditch effort to claim Gannon’s attentions. Audrey took comfort in knowing that most of
those assembled knew that Gannon’s attentions were
firmly fixed in her direction.

What pettiness she had fallen to when she took comfort from her own sham! Audrey took a bite of the
poached salmon. Would Gannon’s attentions be so assuredly fixed on her if their deal didn’t demand it? The
question niggled at her throughout dinner as she watched
him chat with the girl. She was passably pretty, if a little
on the plain side. Audrey wondered what her conversation was like. What were she and Gannon talking about
at the other end of the table?

“Darling, don’t stare so. People will think you’re jealous, or, worse, they’ll think you’re worried you can’t
hold Camberly without a tight rein,” her mother said quietly from her seat on Audrey’s right side.

Audrey quickly averted her gaze. She hadn’t realized
she’d been staring. She took another bite of salmon and
turned to the young gentleman on her left, determined
to shake the intruding thoughts of Gannon’s impending
kiss.

At last the ballroom doors were thrown open to start
the dancing. She was obliged to dance with her dinner partner, who’d turned out to be quite desultory at small
talk and even worse at dancing. But Gannon was waiting for her when the first dance finished, having done
his time gallantly with the Oelriches’ niece.

The next dance was a waltz, and she let Gannon lead
her out onto the floor, incredibly aware of his physical
presence-the warmth of his hand at her back, the
length of his fingers in his gloves as they gripped her
own. No one she’d ever danced with danced with Gannon’s grace and confidence. She wondered if that had to
do with the difference in ages. Gannon was a man full
grown, after all. At thirtythree, he wasn’t a young beau
trying to figure out adulthood and all its tenets. Gannon
was a seasoned man with experiences to guide him.

“What are you thinking?” Gannon said, sweeping
them through a turn.

“I am thinking how the women in London must flock
to you,” she said honestly.

“Well, some do,” Gannon replied modestly.

Audrey laughed at his humble response. “Dance me
outside, Gannon Maddox.”

Gannon swung them through the open French doors
and out into the gardens. Unlike English town houses,
where ballrooms were on the second floor after a long
climb up a curved staircase, these American mansions
featured wide-open ballrooms on the lower floor so that
the doors exited onto wide verandahs and gardens.

The gardens were well lit enough and as yet still un populated by guests, since the dancing had just begun.
Feeling bold, Audrey drew Gannon down the shallow
steps and onto a winding path. Strains of the waltz filtered out from the ballroom into the evening. “Dance
with me here, Gannon.”

“Audrey, we must have a care,” Gannon warned,
but he was smiling at her, his eyes sparkling with the
fun and mischief of their escapade. Audrey reveled in
the power of his arms as he stepped them into the
dance.

They dipped and swayed over the brick pathways in
time to the music inside. Audrey’s slipper caught on a
loose brick, and she stumbled, only to be immediately
righted by Gannon’s sure-footedness.

The music faded, and Audrey collapsed against him,
breathless. It seemed more natural than stepping away.
They were both laughing. Audrey looked up into the
night. “The stars are coming out,” she said, raising an arm
upward.

“Shall we wish on them?” Gannon asked softly, his
hands riding gently at her waist, their bodies close.

“No, I don’t dare trust my luck,” Audrey said. “I made a wish earlier today, and it came true”

Gannon arched his eyebrows in inquiry. “What did
you wish for?”

Audrey gave him a playful smile. “I wished I’d lose
the bet”

“Why is that?” Gannon pressed, teasing.

“Can’t you guess?” Audrey said, suddenly embarrassed by her confession. “Surely I don’t need to spell it
out for you.”

“At last, I’ve managed to embarrass the outspoken
Miss St. Clair.” Gannon chuckled. “No, don’t tell me why
you wished to lose the bet. Let me believe it was because
you wanted me to kiss you again. It will do my man’s ego
good”

Just like that, her embarrassment evaporated. Her confidence restored, Audrey pushed forward, her arms moving around his neck. “So will you? Kiss me, that is?”

“Absolutely.” He dipped his head and obliged.

Audrey sank into the kiss, her mouth opening to his.
Her hands found their way into the darkness of his hair.
The kiss deepened, and she instinctively pressed her
body into his, feeling the muscles and manly planes
of him.

“Audrey, careful,” Gannon murmured between what
had gone from one kiss to a series of kisses. “Whatever
would your mother say?”

A firm clearing of a throat brought the moment to an
abrupt halt. Audrey looked past Gannon’s shoulder with
unfeigned horror. The object of Gannon’s remark stood
on the garden path, tapping her foot ominously on the
bricks. “She would say, we’d better talk about your intentions, Camberly.”

Audrey stifled a gasp and would have jumped if Cannon’s firm grip hadn’t steadied her. “It’s not what you
think,” Audrey said hurriedly.

“I beg to differ, dear,” Violet said coolly. “It’s exactly
what I think it is.” She managed a brittle smile. “But I
have no worries. I am certain Camberly knows what
needs to be done. I’ll take you home, Audrey, so Camberly and your father can have a long talk.”

Audrey began to protest, but a warning pressure from
Gannon at her waist caused her to reconsider. “Audrey,
I’ll manage things,” Gannon said with a quiet strength
beside her.

Audrey knew she had no real choice. At least Gannon
was her ally in this. Of all the people in Newport who
would protect her interests, there was only Gannon. But he didn’t know the whole of it. He’d asked her on at least
two occasions what she wanted her freedom for, and
she’d neglected to give him a direct answer. She wished
she had confided in him.

Gannon did not seem upset, Audrey noted, as he masterfully guided them through the ballroom to the card
room where Wilson St. Clair was talking with business
friends. From the moment her mother had appeared in
the garden and demanded her brand of satisfaction, Gannon had efficiently taken charge of the situation, calling
for the carriage and seeing to their wraps.

Audrey admired Gannon’s subtle maneuverings, all
of which should suggest to her mother that he would
not be managed like an errant schoolboy called before
the headmaster, nor would he walk back into the ballroom like a whipped cur. No one decided anything for
the Earl of Camberly. He decided for himself. He alone
was responsible for the turns his life took.

Unlike her. Her life evolved at the whim of others,
no matter how much she railed against such machinations. Gannon handed her into the St. Clair carriage and
shut the door. Impulsively, Audrey reached for Gannon’s
hand before the carriage pulled away from the curb.
There was so much she wanted to say, but the words
wouldn’t come. Now that they were out of public view,
hot tears threatened to overwhelm her. She wanted nothing more than to lay her head against Gannon’s chest
and sob out her frustrations into the black depths of his
evening coat.

He squeezed her hand and pressed a swift kiss to her knuckles, his eyes holding hers. “Everything will be
fine, Audrey. I promise. Get some sleep. I’ll call on you
in the morning.”

Gannon called up to the driver and then stepped back
to let the vehicle pull away down the long driveway of
the Elms. Audrey fixed her gaze on him until the curve
of the drive took him from her view.

“You’ve done well, Audrey,” Violet said from her seat.
“Your father and Camberly will work out the details, and
we can announce the engagement tomorrow” Her voice
took a sterner tone. “However, you were lucky it was I
who found you two and not someone else. The results
would be the same but not without the attending scandal.
What were you thinking? You should have told me what
you had planned.”

Audrey’s blood ran colder than it already was. She
could feel her body start to tremble with the shock of
all that had transpired. “I did not trap him,” she ground
out in forceful words.