Secrets of a Viscount (13 page)

Chapter Twenty

Sebastian said a brief prayer of thanksgiving as he jumped from the balcony of Isabelle’s room. Had she been any higher than the second floor, he’d have had to find a different way into her room. A second floor room was easy enough, especially since she had a balcony. Now he just had to walk to the front of the estate and count the number of windows to find which room belonged to Giles.

Rounding the front of the three-story, brown brick, E-shaped estate, Sebastian stopped. Philip, the footman he’d bribed earlier, said Giles was staying in the room connected to the third balcony from the northwest corner of the house. Sebastian counted the balconies and made his way to the room with the wide open curtains. That should have given Giles away without Sebastian having to pay a coin. Unlike most who liked their bedchamber nice and dark at night, Giles preferred to keep his curtains open as wide as they’d go to allow moonlight to flood the room.

Sebastian spotted a brick about three feet from the ground that poked out of the wall a little further than the rest. He put his booted foot on it and gripped another brick above his head with his left hand to stabilize himself enough to reach the bottom lip of the balcony with his right hand. Latching on, he pulled himself up and with a maneuver he’d rather never give the details of where he learned it, he swung himself up onto the balcony, his back slamming the wooden planks with a hard
thwack
.

“
Impressive,” Giles greeted.

“
Thanks,” Sebastian panted. He took another two breaths then stood. “I need to talk to you.”

“
It must be urgent.”

“
No.”

Giles lifted his eyebrows then turned to open the door that led to his room.

Sebastian followed him inside, feeling suddenly like a fool. “I hope you don’t mind I came by. I needed to talk to you.”

Giles flopped down on a chair, leaving Sebastian the choice to either stand or sit on Giles’ bed. Sebastian stood.

“Are you aware of what’s going on at this party?”

Giles blinked. “I think so.”

“Lady Cosgrove is trying to find you a wife.” Sebastian almost groaned. Of course she was. That’s what every lady, no matter what her age or rank, took it upon themselves to do for any unattached man of their acquaintance. “What I mean is that I think she’s gravely serious in her pursuit for you to get married.” There, that was a tactful way to say it without saying too much.

“
I know.”

“
Do you want to marry?” Sebastian had always just assumed that Giles’ lack of interest in ladies in general was just part of who he was: not interested. Perhaps Sebastian had been wrong. That, or Lady Cosgrove had said something to Giles when he’d come to Telford to seek Sebastian an invitation that made Giles suddenly decide he wanted to get married.

“
Never thought about it before.”

“
All right,” Sebastian said slowly, trying to make sense of everything. “So you’re thinking about it now. At this party?”

“
Yes.”

“
And?”

“
And?”

“
Have you found a lady who strikes your fancy?”

“
She’s taken.”

Sebastian bit back a grin. Perhaps Lady Cosgrove was onto something by hosting this party for Giles after all. “All right, so you have a lady in mind. Can I ask who she is?”

Giles started. “No.”

Sebastian held his hands up in front of himself. “All right, all right, keep your secrets.” He crossed his arms. “Would you like some advice?”

“No.”

“
You said she’s taken. Is she the only one you have an interest in?” He had a hard time believing any of the ladies who’d come to this party were otherwise taken with any of the unsuitable pack of gentlemen who’d been invited so she must have a suitor waiting for her in London.

“
It’s not really an interest. She’s just the only one I’d consider.”

“
I see and does she know this?”

“
No.”

“
Perhaps if she did—”

“
No!”

Sebastian stilled at the sharpness in Giles’ voice. He’d never heard the man use such a tone before. Ever. “So what of the others? Do you plan to get to know them or wait until you get back to London?”

Giles shrugged. “Don’t have a choice.”

“
What do you mean you don’t have a choice?”

“
I must marry.”

“
Must?” Sebastian scoffed. “Nobody
must
marry.”

“
I must. Lord Cosgrove has demanded it.”

“
Lord Cosgrove?”

Giles tapped his fingertips together. “He was one of my father’s closest friends and has control of my money. He says I won’t get any more unless I marry.”

“He controls your money?”

Giles nodded. “My father thought.” Giles swallowed. “He thought I wouldn’t be capable of running the barony so he set everything into a trust that Lord Cosgrove controls.”

That certainly explained why Giles had grown up in Ireland and had no real interest in coming to London until very recently. “If your father didn’t think you were capable, then why is Lord Cosgrove so adamant that you marry.”

“
An heir.”

Sebastian pondered how to ask what might be better left unspoken: if Giles wasn’t good enough for the old baron to raise as his son and not capable to run the barony then why did his male issue matter?

As if reading his mind, Giles said, “The delivering physician said my condition wouldn’t pass down to my children.”

“
Did he say what makes him so certain of that?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
Are there any conditions surrounding the wife you choose or just that you pick one?”

Giles’ blank expression was his only response, sparking a glimmer of hope in Sebastian. Perhaps his earlier suggestion wouldn’t be met with as much opposition this time.

“What of Belle?”

“
Belle?”

“
Isabelle Knight,” Sebastian clarified.

Giles shook his head. “No, she’s taken.”

Ah, so that’s who Giles had been speaking of earlier when he’d mentioned a female he’d been interested in but couldn’t pursue. “It might not be the easiest task you embark on, but if she’s willing to entertain Simon’s suit, then I don’t see why she couldn’t be persuaded to entertain your suit.”

“
No.”

“
No? Why the devil not? Do you think she’s really that taken with Simon?”

“
No.”

“
All right, then you can just woo her a little—I’ll even help you.”

Giles blinked. “Why?”

“Why what? Why help you or why her?”

“
Both.”

“
You’re both my friends and I think you’d be a good match for each other.”

“
No.”

Sebastian refused to give into the temptation to groan. “Why not?”

“She’s taken.”

This time, Sebastian did groan. “No, she’s not. She’s only allowing Simon to pay her court because—”

“Not him.”

“
Then who? Lord Kenton?” he said with a snort of disbelief.

“
No. You.”

***

Sebastian couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled over him the second Giles had made his final statement the night before. Belle was not his. They might be married, but she wasn’t
his
. Sighing, he rolled out of the bed he’d occupied in the gamekeeper’s cottage and scrubbed his fingers over his face. With any luck he’d be able to spot Belle and Simon playing lawn games or some such nonsense and get a better idea of what was going on between them. Giles might have some misguided notion that Belle belonged to Sebastian, but it was quite clear he was the only one who felt that way, and if Belle wanted to pursue a courtship with and possibly a marriage to Simon, he’d do what he could to help her succeed.

Luck might not have been in his favor when it came to receiving an official invitation to the party, but he’d been quite fortunate when he’d happened upon Belle and Simon selecting mallets for pall mall.

“I think I’d like the red one this time,” Belle said.

Sebastian pressed up against the side of the shed and craned his neck so he could hear better.

“Here you are,” Simon said. “I shall take the blue. No, the green.” Wood tapped together, presumably from Simon putting the blue one back on the rack and taking the green.

“
Thank you,” Belle murmured.

From the corner of his eye, Sebastian could see the firm line of her lips. Was she upset already? Why?

“We’ll play bowls later,” Simon said, a hint of apology in his tone.

“
It’s all right. I understand.”

Simon drummed his fingers against the wood of either the handle of his pall mall mallet or the wooden rack. Sebastian didn’t know which and it wasn’t important enough for him to chance being seen to peek.

“This was a bad idea,” Simon said at last with a sigh. “I should have known better and just stayed in London to court you there.” He sighed again. “I just thought—”

Sebastian desperately wished he could see the expressions on their faces.

“It’s all right,” Belle repeated. “Are you ready to play?”

Sebastian’s heart constricted. She was really trying. It was her oaf of a suitor who wasn’t worthy. Sebastian started and thrust the thought away immediately. It wasn’t his place to decide who was worthy of her—even if he felt Simon wasn’t. It was her decision and her choice could have been far worse, to be sure. Simon wasn’t a bad sort from what he’d heard of the man. He was just distracted. With the right action Belle could steal his attention. Then, they all could move forward with their lives. Yes, all she needed was some advice and now that he knew exactly what was going on between them—which really wasn’t so bad, Simon was just preoccupied with wanting to avoid Giles—Sebastian could give her advice to hold his attention no matter who was around.

Pleased with his new strategy of how to help her, Sebastian slinked away to wait for darkness when he could go see Belle again.

Chapter Twenty-One

Isabelle seriously considered begging Mrs. Finch to take her back to London. If she had to play one more game of pall mall, that’s exactly what she’d do. Three days. Yes, three days straight they’d had to play that blasted game. Once was all right, twice was tedious, thrice was exhausting and if it came to a fourth time, she just might do herself in!

“Did you win?”

Every muscle in Isabelle’s body clenched. She should have locked her window! Slowly, she turned to face her handsome intruder. “Actually, I did.”

“I’d offer you my felicitations—” Sebastian let himself in and closed the window with a
snap
— “but I don’t think you really won. I think Giles’ did and he wasn’t even there.”

Isabelle scowled. “How do you even know?”

“I saw you two.”

“
I see. So you no longer just climb into my room, you’ve taken to spying on me in the daytime, too?”

“
For good reason.” Sebastian sagged against the wall and swept her with his gaze.

She suddenly felt naked, keenly aware that she was wearing only her wrapper. She crossed her arms over her chest. Though why she bothered, she didn’t know. It would seem that Sebastian was making a habit of seeing her in scandalous states of undress. “What do you want?”

“To help you.” He cleared his throat. “I think he’s sincere with his motives, Belle. He’s just distracted.”

She frowned at him. “I told you that before.” But evidently he hadn’t believed her.

“You just need to be more attractive than the distraction.”

“
Why thank you, Sebastian. I’m so glad you told me that,” she said sarcastically. “If only I’d known...”

“
Ah, that’s the Belle I know!” He pushed off from where he was leaning against the wall and made his way to her bed. “Come join me.”

“
I think not.”

He shrugged and took a seat on the edge. “Soft.”

“You’re not staying. You can go back to whatever hole you crawled out of.”

Chuckling, he said, “I think you just need to flirt with the man.”

“I’ve tried.”

“
Tried? You can’t
try
to flirt. You either do it or you don’t.”

“
I do.”

“
Come show me.”

“
Absolutely not!”

“
Belle, I just asked you to show me how you flirt, I didn’t demand you share your bed with me—though in a literal sense, I would be ever thankful.”

“
That won’t be happening.” She narrowed her eyes on him and his giant grin. “Either request.”

“
All right. If you won’t show me how you’ve been flirting. I’ll show you how you should be flirting.”

Isabelle half-groaned, half-giggled—quite an odd combination, to be sure. “And how do you know how a woman should flirt?”

He gave her a queer look. “I am a man.”

She blushed. Well, yes he was a man, but that didn’t mean he was an expert when it came to the attraction between the two sexes, did it? “That might be how you like to be flirted with, Simon might prefer differently,” she pointed out.

He continued to stare at her as if she were cracked. “This will work—no matter who the chap is.”

Even you?
She started. Why had she thought
that
?

“
The first thing you need to do is smile more.”

“
I do. I smile quite a lot, actually.”

“
Not that I’ve seen,” he said with a dubious look. “When I saw you today, your lips were pressed together into a line straighter than one of your father’s arrows. Now, tomorrow you can’t do that. You need to smile.”

“
All right. I’ll smile more,” she mumbled.

“
Try it.”

“
Pardon me?”

“
I said, try it. I think you need to practice so I can help you.”

“
Help me smile?” she said in disbelief. “Do you intend to come hold my lips in proper position, then?”

“
If I must. Now, smile.”

“
If I do, will you leave?”

“
No, not until I’m satisfied. Now, give it a try.”

Feeling every bit the fool, Isabelle stretched her lips into the widest, fullest smile she could.

“Excellent grimace, now, let’s try a smile this time.”

Isabelle relaxed her face and let out a shaky laugh. “I cannot smile if there’s no reason to.”

“Then you’re going to have a very difficult time obtaining your Mr. Appleton’s attention.” He stood and walked over to her.

“
What are you doing?”

A slow, wolfish grin split his face. “I know how to get you to smile.”

Isabelle took a step back and tightened her hold on herself. There was a gleam in his eyes she almost didn’t recognize. “What are you doing?”

“
If I recall correctly—” he took another step toward her— “you’re very ticklish.”

“
Don’t you dare!”

“
Then smile,” he murmured, taking another step toward her.

Isabelle took a step backward and collided with the wall.
Drat!
She extended her right hand toward him to keep at a distance.
“All right, all right, I’ll smile.” She forced another smile.

“
That’s not good enough.” He reached for her hand, taking another step toward her, bringing their bodies mere inches apart.

Her breath caught and her stilted smile vanished. “Take a step back, please.”

He didn’t budge.

She swallowed. “Sebastian, please.”

Something passed over his face. Something quick and heated. Something she didn’t recognize. “All right, try again,” he said raggedly, taking a half-step back.

She tried again, but it was useless. Her lips had suddenly turned to stone for her cheeks couldn’t pull them apart. “You’re making me nervous.”

He released her hand and took another step back, leaving her further distracted by his sudden absence.

She blinked off the thought and tried again to smile.

“Better, but a little less—” he stretched his lips into something similar to a snarl— “and a little more this—” He relaxed his facial muscles just enough to allow his lips to fall into a nice frame around his white teeth without showing so much of his gums. “See the difference?”

She nodded. Many things might have changed about Sebastian since they were children, but his wide, boyish smile hadn’t. “I’ll try again.” She tried again.

“Almost,” he murmured, bringing his hands up to cup her face. “Just a little more.”

Isabelle stood frozen as his gentle thumbs moved her lips a little wider into what he’d consider a perfect smile. She was an idiot. A complete idiot. What was she doing?

“Just like that.”

“
All right.” She batted at his wrists until he removed his hands. “I think I have it now. You may go.”

“
Belle?”

Isabelle swallowed and crossed her arms. “I think I have it,” she repeated, stretching her lips into the same position he’d just had them.

“Indeed you do, now for the next step.”

“
The next step? What is this a performance?”

“
Of sorts, yes. You have a very beautiful smile, Belle, but that alone won’t win his attention. You need to also—”

“
Flirt,” she cut in, flushing. “Yes, I remember that part. I’ll be sure to rap him on the knuckles with my fan at dinner and bat my lashes at him enough that we can all be sure there’s no bug taking up residence under my eyelids.”

“
And giggle,” he added with a wink.

“
That won’t be happening.”

“
Why not?”

“
Forced giggling is absolutely the worst form of flirtation.”

“
Then you’d better find Simon to be talented of the comic arts because gentlemen enjoy that sort of thing.”

Isabelle grinned. “Oh, so then you did enjoy sitting next to Lady Mary at Lady Norcourt’s dinner.”

“No. But that smile right there, that’s the one that will steal his heart.”