Authors: Astrid Lee Donovan
The brothers laughed.
“Cybele the Brave!” They cried in concert, with Barnaby adding as they turned for their repaired carriage, “We must take leave now, Miss, as we plan to be in attendance at Colton’s social later this evening.”
Cybele nodded.
“I plan to be there as well,” she told them, adding as she and a grinning Patrick returned to their own ride, “Race you to Magnolia, Gents!”
Soon sharing the long, winding cobblestone road that would take them to their intended destination, Cybele and the Barrington twins waved, hooted and blew kisses at one another out their open windows; the breezes flying free through their hair as their horse-driven carriages sped onward into the London countryside.
Cybele quieted as her carriage turned on to the tree-lined road that lead to Magnolia Resort; an open aired thoroughfare lined on each side with towering, scarlet-leaved magnolias. Suddenly she reveled in the sound of gentle bird song as it flowed free and clear above her; and glancing upward she admired the gold-hued canaries and royal blue songbirds that let loose with this lush, ethereal sound.
“We’re here, Miss,” Peter said over his shoulder, finally pulling up in front of the resort that seemed like a much beloved second home.
As Peter retrieved her luggage from the boot of the carriage, Cybele hopped down from the confines of the back seat and stopped stock still in front of the resort; an ebullient structure that shone pearl pink in the rays of the sun above them.
Immediately she recognized the sloping roof, the broad front porches, the vast bay windows and the glorious stained glass door that fronted this elegant two-story establishment. Today, however, she regarded its beauty in a slightly different light.
“As enjoyable as it has been for my family and me to stay at this resort, for two or three weeks out of the year,” she mused, stepping onto the front porch with swift, determined steps, “I feel that it might even be more enjoyable to live here someday.’
This viewpoint was reinforced moments later, as she found herself in the vast entryway that served as the grand lobby of the Magnolia Resort; an area resplendent with silken, floral print settees and straight back chairs of lavender velvet; situated on plush ivory carpeting between walls of gold brocade and beneath a hand painted ceiling that bore an illustrious mural of cherubs in flight across the vast expanse of a gem blue sky. Dew-glistened bouquets of ruby red roses completed this lovely picture, situated as they were in crystalline urns that bordered a stone cast fireplace.
In her mind, however, the most beautiful facet of this impressive room stood at the side of this blazing fireplace; dressed as he was in a prim white day suit that seemed to merge with his own décor.
“Lady Cybele!”
Crossing the room in a few smooth strides, Lord Colton Jones charmed her with a dazzling white-toothed smile and the friendly flash of his wide dark eyes.
“Colton!” she exclaimed, returning his smile as he took her hand in his and graced her skin with a gentlemanly kiss. “I’m so pleased to be here. It’s bound to be a grand weekend!”
Colton nodded.
“Indeed it will, Love, now that you’re here,” he agreed, adding with a teasing wink, “I am so glad that you plan to stay with us for the duration of the weekend. I insist on claiming the first place on your dance card at my social this evening.”
Cybele shrugged.
“Well seeing as how my dance card here generally consists of you, my driver, your butler, and whatever gent draws the short straw around the billiards table,” she pursed her lips to comic effect, “I daresay your place is safe.”
Colton guffawed outright.
“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, you enchanting woman,” he chided her gentle, adding as a waiting Peter carried her luggage up the steps of a nearby, mahogany bound staircase, “I do insist on at least two dances with you this eve, as well as several croquet games during the weekend. I also call dibs on a place at your side for the occasion of our Sunday picnic.”
Cybele grinned.
“Done,” she allowed, feeling her cheeks flush with happiness at the sound of all these delightful ideas. “First, though, I must retire to my suite and prepare for this evening’s social.”
Colton nodded.
“That would be best, as the happening begins in just over an hour,” he reminded her, adding as he made a broad gesture in the direction of the staircase, “Your suite awaits you, my lady.”
CHAPTER TWO
Soon Cybele found herself ensconced in another luxurious room; this one adorned with polished mirrored cherry wood bureaus, plush copper hued carpeting overseen by a feminine rose print chandelier, and a corner set of crystal-paned French doors enshrouded in a pair of fine lace curtains.
The centerpiece of this exclusive suite took the form of a silk-covered canopied bed that shone in its hue of deep, rich lavender; a heavenly resting place where Cybele planned to lay her head that evening.
First, though, she greatly looked forward to making her appearance at the social downstairs. And she couldn’t wait to see Colton’s eyes light up as they beheld her in the evening gown she’d brought for the occasion; a dress she now admired as it adorned the curves of her full-figured body.
A hand woven work of shimmering pink satin lined down the front with a row of pearls that mirrored its pearlesque hue, this gown did much to illuminate her ivory white complexion and her newly upswept golden blonde hair. A newly acquired pair of sparkling diamond earrings completed this desired effect; one that brought a smile to Cybele’s face as she inspected the results in a corner mirror.
Soon she found herself once again descending the stairs that lead to the resort entryway; a place now filled with laughing guests adorned in their own versions of elegant evening finery. And although she offered greetings and grins to a number of lords and ladies she recognized from previous affairs, her eyes scanned the room for the host of this party; a man who, much to her consternation, was nowhere to be found.
“Have you seen Lord Colton?” she asked a sharp-dressed lass who loitered alone in the corner of the room.
The young woman said nothing, just nodded in the direction of a corner room; a space that Cybele immediately identified as the dining room at the Magnolia Resort.
Offering her thanks, the lady gathered her skirts in her hands and headed in the direction of the specified room; stopping short as she heard some familiar laughter ring forth from its enclosed confines.
She chuckled in spite of herself as she heard the echoing tones of this deep, masculine laughter; immediately identifying their owners as the twin brothers she had met en route to the resort this afternoon.
“I arrived at the resort well before they did, and hoped that I would see them again,” she mused, placing her hand on the domed glass doorknob that accessed the Magnolia dining room.
She froze seconds later as she heard her own name pass the lips of Phillip Barrington; chuckling in spite of herself as she heard him say, “I can’t tell you, Lord Colton, just how delighted we were to meet Lady Cybele Carrington en route to Magnolia this afternoon. I’m sure you know her; she is an editor at her family’s publishing house in Birmingham. She’s so bright and charming too—and she certainly has a way with horses!”
Cybele’s beam broadened as she heard Lord Colton chuckle in concurrence.
“Cybele is indeed bright and charming,” he agreed. “I’ve known her family for years. In an odd sort of way I suppose that Cybele and I have grown up together.”
“Fortunate man,” Barnaby chimed in, “Phillip and I would love to get to know her better this weekend. And as we were just discussing before tonight’s social, we are amazed that this sweet, enchanting woman has yet to claim a husband.”
Colton cleared her throat.
“Does it amaze you? Really?” he lowered his voice, but only slightly. “I mean, she is not precisely the most shapely or comely woman—and, although kind, she seems like something of a know it all. And really, what lord in his right noggin would want a working wife? Unless, of course, she happens to be working at preparing your meals and birthing your babes.”
Cybele had heard enough. Her cheeks flushing red hot as she turned the knob in her hand, she charged forthright into the room before her; coming to stand stock still before the trio of males who stared agape at her arrival.
“Lord Colton.” She addressed her host in a hard, harsh tone, planting her hands square on the surface of her satin clad hips. “How dare you discuss me behind my admittedly wide but very sharp dressed back—and in such a rude, disrespectful manner? Do you know nothing of being a gentleman?”
Colton stared at her wordless a moment; shaking his head from side to side as a wave of raw color flushed his carved cheeks.
“Please my lady, I beg your forgiveness. I spoke out of turn,” he mumbled, clutching his hands tight before him as he added, “I had no idea that you were in the vicinity….”
“Well that much is obvious,” Cybele snapped, adding as she inclined her head in his direction, “Could it be, Lord Colton, that you focus so very much on a lady’s looks because your eyes are just a bit sharper than your brain? And could this be the same reason that you may not favor a woman who is brighter and more industrious than you happen to be?”
She lifted her chin as the twins met her words with a shout of hysterical laughter; applauding her words as Colton hunched his shoulders and shuffled his feet beneath him.
“My deepest apologies,” he mumbled, adding as he forced a weak, wane smile, “If it would in any compensate for the distress I’ve caused you, I very much would like to offer you a free evening’s stay this weekend at Magnolia Resort.”
Cybele shook her head.
“Well feel free, if you wish, to give me a complimentary stay this evening,” she allowed, adding as she folded her arms before her, “ Beyond that, however, I fear that I will be parting for home first thing tomorrow morning. And in the future, Lord Jones, you may not count on my family or me for our continued patronage at your resort.”
Without awaiting a response, Cybele turned in a swish of her pearl pink skirts and abandoned her befuddled host, the man who she’d never regard with quite the same eyes.
Making her way in a haze of anger through a throng of talking, laughing partygoers, she suddenly and unreasonably willed them to shut their bloody mouths.
Clearing the throng with a haughty sniff, Cybele plopped down on a rose print settee that bordered the entryway of Magnolia Resort; sighing relieved moments later, as the ringing of a dinner bell cleared the room of the guests that were beginning to stare and point at her.
As they headed into the resort dining room to enjoy one of its signature dinners, she contemplated the events of the last few moments; a grand total of five minutes that had dashed the hopes she’d harbored for countless years.
Even as a child she’d harbored a strong infatuation for Colton Jones. And as they both breached their twenties alone and unpartnered, she’d strongly considered the possibility of morphing their friendship into a courtship; one that would merge both a pair of good hearts and two powerful families.
“Or at least I believed his heart was good,” she mused now, cringing at the memory of his insults. “I cannot believe that I, an intelligent, well-bred woman, would be so blind to his falsity—to the truth of his spirit. How could I not see that he was such a vile cad?”
“He fooled us all, Miss.”
Cybele jumped as she realized her words were spoken aloud and overheard by a newcomer to the sitting room; one that she wanted to tell to hush up and go away, post haste.
Her sentiments shifted sharp a moment later, as she identified the source of the intrusive presence; or, more accurately, the sources.
Her smile made an unexpected return as she spotted the two men who she’d stopped to help that day by the side of the road; gentlemen now apparently bent on returning her kind favor.
The Barrington twins came bearing brilliant, white-toothed smiles that immediately lifted her spirits; along with polished rose print china plates and gleaming crystalline goblets.
“Good evening to you, Lady Cybele,” Barnaby greeted her, joining her brother in a deep bow before they joined her on the settee. “May we have the pleasure of dining with you this evening?”
Cybele shrugged.
“Wouldn’t you be more comfortable at the dinner table?” she asked, gritting her teeth as she saw the twins balance their plates uneasily on their knees as they handed her own; also juggling three wayward goblets that splashed unbidden on the floor beneath them.
Phillip shook his head.
“Absolutely not,” he declared, adding with a defined sniff, “We much prefer the company of an earthy, good natured lass to the stuffy society mavens we’d find at the table.”
Cybele nodded.
“Well thank you very much,” she told him, cheeks flushing in spite of themselves. “I feel, however, that I must decline the offer of your good company. Not to be impolite, Gentleman, but I truly need to be alone right now.”
She jumped as Phillip met these words with a low, appealing chuckle.
“Well my girl, that is precisely why we have come to you this evening,” he told her, tone low and intimate. “We very much would like to put you in the mood….”
“In the mood to enjoy a fantastic evening, in the company of two gentlemen who enjoy your company and would honor the chance to know your better.” Barnaby completed, adding as he graced her with a referential wave, “And with this in mind, we have three very special activities planned for you this evening.”
The first activity, Cybele soon learned, was the dinner that her handsome young hosts now took great pains to serve her; insisting on spoon feeding her heaping helpings of succulent roast duck, juicy mashed potatoes and delicious steamed vegetables; all washed down with a sparkling glass of luscious crystalline champagne.
The twins, she was relieved to note, made no mention of Colton Jones or his embarrassing comments; choosing instead to heap praise upon her for rescuing them that very afternoon. They also asked her about the nature and content of the latest books that she’d reviewed and edited at Carrington Press.
She in turn quizzed them about their recent travels as a roguish, reveling duo; soon finding herself lost in their tales of journeys to the wilds of the Caribbean and the highlands of Scotland; and, most recently, to the luminous city of Paris, France.
“Oh, I would love to visit Paris someday!” Cybele enthused, her troubles forgotten as she set aside her dinner plate and leaned forward with both ears cocked. “Please Gents, do tell me more about the Eiffel Tower, the River Seine—tell me everything you saw when you journeyed to Paris!”
Visibly touched by her enthusiasm, Phillip graced her with a playful nudge as he said, “We’d love to, my dear, but the time is nigh for your second treat of the evening.”
“Indeed!” Barnaby concurred, jumping to his feet as he offered her his hand, “Now that we have completed our meal, love, we’d very much like to take you dancing.”
Cybele froze.
“Dancing?” she repeated, adding with a shrug, “Well I have noticed that at socials these days, folks do tend to dance in circles. This may indeed be enjoyable!”