Unconventional Suitors 01 - Her Unconventional Suitor (16 page)

Benedict forced himself to remain patient while she made her introductions, watching her every move, soaking up her appearance as if it were water to his parched soul. Finally, she made her way over to where he was standing, a radiant smile on her lovely face. She was easily the most beautiful woman in attendance.

Benedict took her gloved hand in his and bowed over it, kissing it tenderly though he wanted to pull her to him and shower her with much more passionate kisses. Rising, he said in a low voice for only her to hear, “I have missed your company greatly.”

“As I have missed yours, my lord.”

Soon her chaperone joined her at her side. “Lord Danford, I’d like to introduce you to my Aunt Miranda.”

“Pleased to meet you, my lady,” Benedict said as he bowed before her. Benedict was surprised at how young she was, for he had expected a much older lady than the one that stood before him. Lady Gillian’s Aunt Miranda looked as if she could barely be considered on the shelf. She had a willowy build, and her movements were graceful and deliberate. Her whitish blonde hair gave her the appearance of an angel.

The lady smiled at him sincerely. “I am likewise pleased to meet the gentleman who has caused quite a stir amongst my family.”

Benedict returned her delightful smile, pleased that she didn’t appear disdainful upon meeting him. “I hope not all you have been told is unfavorable, for I can assure you that I do have some redeeming qualities.”

“And I can assure you, my lord, that I have heard more about your so called redeeming qualities in the last two days since my arrival than I have probably ever cared to know.”

“Oh Miranda,” Lady Gillian said as she flipped her fan open and fluttered it before her face, “do not attempt to embarrass me, for it will not work. Lord Danford is aware of my deep regard for his character, are you not, my lord?”

“That may be true, but it is always good to be reassured,” Benedict said as he winked discreetly at Lady Gillian.

After several more minutes of small talk, the party moved into the dining room. Benedict was escorted by Lady Cantrell since he was the highest ranking gentleman in attendance, and seated directly to her right while the rest of the party was seated accordingly.

Miss Graham was seated next to Benedict, just as he had anticipated, but he was surprised, though extremely pleased, to see that Lady Gillian was seated directly across from him, affording him a splendid view.

As soon as the soup was served, Lady Cantrell turned to Benedict and said animatedly, “It’s so odd having you four friends reunited after so many years apart. I am instantly transported to my childhood and am half expecting that at any moment one of you will pull a prank on me, as you so often did when we were young.”

Benedict chuckled. It was true; she had been the recipient of many of their pranks, for she was easy to rattle, always producing the biggest reaction, much to their amusement. And, unlike Miss Graham, she was slow to tattle on them, instead choosing vengeance as her method of revenge.

“I think it is I who has need to be on alert, my lady, for I remember how well you held your own. Remember that time that we—
“Were swimming in the pond,” she cut in animatedly, “and I stole all of your clothing whilst you remained unaware?”

Benedict choked on his soup. “That was not the instance I was recalling.” He was shocked to learn that her brashness could still surprise him since she had always been that way as long as he had known her, which had been a very long time indeed.

He chanced a quick glance to Lady Gillian who was looking at their hostess with amusement. “How utterly genius of you to best the boys at their own game. I think it fair to say they deserved whatever difficulty you gave them and then some.”

Benedict felt the need to defend himself. “Now, Lady Gillian, I cannot let you continue to think that Lady Cantrell was always the offended party, for surely there were plenty of times that she was the instigator.”

“Oh, do tell,” she said as she laid her spoon down and clapped her hands together with glee.

Benedict looked across the table at Griffin who was seated next to Lady Gillian. “Lord Straton, remember the time that Lady Cantrell attempted to chase us away from their home for good?”

Griffin’s eyebrows rose, “But of course. How can I ever forget? Though I’m not entirely sure the story is appropriate to be shared around the dinner table.”

“Oh nonsense,” Lady Cantrell reprimanded Griffin. “You know yourself that I have never been a stickler for propriety. Besides, that was one of my finest pranks, and I insist it be shared.”

The entire table went silent as they anxiously awaited for the tale to be told. Lady Cantrell urged Griffin to continue with a flicking motion of her hand. He finally relented. “Very well, though I wish to preface the story with a warning that—”

“Oh fustian,” she said, cutting him off as was her habit when she was excited. Anxious to tell her side of the story, Lady Cantrell continued at a rapid pace, “Lord Danford and Lord Straton had pushed me to the edge of insanity when they had taken my poodle, Jericho, hunting. He proudly returned with his kill, a pheasant he hid under my bed, which was not discovered until the rotting fume became unbearable. I can still remember the look on my maid’s face when she discovered the decomposed bird. That is the reason I decided to do what I did to them both.”

Benedict and Griffin shared a knowing look before an ungentlemanly laugh poured forth from both of them. Lady Cantrell eyed them both curiously. “I must confess that Jericho had nothing to do with the hidden bird, it was I who planted it.” Griffin admitted, somewhat proudly.

Lady Cantrell’s eyes widened, “La! Then I erase completely any regret I have harbored all these years at the revenge I inflicted as a result. I thought your only offense was taking my dog hunting, but I can see that I was very wrong. You two deserved everything you got! Poor Jericho, if he were still alive I would insist you apologize to him at once.”

“Apologize to a dog?” Benedict asked with dismay.

“Yes, apologize. I locked the poor pup out of my room from that day forth, afraid of what else he might bring inside.”

“Now dear, calm down,” Lord Cantrell said from the other end of the table, “the poor dog has been dead for years. There is no use in wasting your sorrow on him any longer. Lord Danford, before my wife gets too out of sorts, I insist you lighten the mood by telling us of her revenge.”

“Very well.” Benedict acquiesced, seeing the wisdom in the viscount’s plan. He wiped the corner of his mouth with his linen napkin before setting it down on the table. “After the pheasant incident, Bethany er, Lady Cantrell begged her mother to not allow us to come for our customary summer visit, but her mother refused to listen.” Benedict turned to Marcus, “Your mother always held a particular fondness for Griffin and I.”

“That is a lie,” Warren interrupted. “You know very well that it is I that Lady Graham harbors a tender affection for. She would have been delighted to have refused your visits, but she knew that if you weren’t allowed to come, I wouldn’t have been allowed either.”

Miss Graham smiled at Warren, “I think that is true, for mother still thinks you are the best of Marcus’s friends to this day.”

Warren beamed victoriously. “Thank you, Miss Graham.”

Benedict didn’t miss the look of elation that flitted across Serena’s face at Warren’s praise. He wondered how he had completely overlooked her affection for his friend all these years. Turning his mind back to his story, he continued. “Once we arrived at Brackingham Abbey, Lady Cantrell went to work. She bribed the servants into giving her access to our rooms where she quickly went about loosening the seams on several articles of our clothing. We did not know that anything was amiss until we arrived for dinner that evening and, much to our embarrassment, our clothing began to fall apart before the first course was even completed.”

“No!” Lady Adel gasped in horror.

“Oh yes, it’s all very true,” Lady Cantrell giggled as she remembered her past shenanigans. “When Lord Straton reached for his wine, his coat sleeve slid down his arm and landed in his bowl of soup, leaving his shirtsleeve indecently exposed.”

Lady Adel stared at Griffin with disbelief before quickly putting her hands to her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggle.

“Laugh all you want,” Griffin scowled at her, “but I can assure you that my embarrassment was nothing compared to Lord Danford’s.”

“Oh please, do tell us,” Lady Gillian urged excitedly.

It was Benedict’s turn to scowl as Griffin eagerly began to share his embarrassment. “Nobody was aware that anything was amiss, they all blamed my valet for the blunder because for the remainder of dinner, there were no further clothing issues. It wasn’t until Lord Danford stood up from the table and turned, revealing a rather large split in the seat of his breeches that we began to realize that something havey cavey was going on.”

A gasp of shock was heard throughout the table before everyone present, Benedict excluded, burst out into peals of laughter. He turned to a very amused and proud looking Lady Cantrell and said, “I hope you are pleased with yourself, for your outlandish stunt continues to amuse to this day.”

“Quite pleased, I will admit.”

When the laughter died down and the next course had been served, Lord Evander turned to Benedict and said, “It seems you have had longstanding issues with your wardrobe.” The entire party went deathly silent, but Lord Evander seemed oblivious to the tension he had created. “I have an excellent tailor I could recommend to you.”

Lord Evander’s boldness surprised him, though he knew it was due to the lighthearted circumstances of the dinner party. He should have known that somebody would venture to make a comment regarding his wardrobe, but he wasn’t prepared with a ready response.

Lady Gillian both surprised and embarrassed him by coming to his defense, “Oh how kind of you Lord Evander, but Lord Danford has informed me that he has already had an entirely new wardrobe commissioned.”

Griffin picked up his wine glass and took a long swallow. Setting the glass back down he looked directly at Benedict and asked, “Is that true, Beni?”

Benedict gulped loudly as he tugged at his cravat. He had no idea how he was supposed to answer Griffin’s question. Lady Gillian looked at him intently, waiting for his response. Finally he responded, “Unfortunately, Lady Gillian, I have yet to visit my tailor. I have had an incredibly busy week and simply ran out of time.”

Lady Gillian looked at him confused, “But I thought you said that…”

“Yes,” Griffin leaned forward, “what did you say?”

Benedict straightened, looking squarely at Griffin so as to avoid Lady Gillian’s intent gaze. “I simply told Lady Gillian that I would look into having a new wardrobe commissioned, though I have yet to do so.” He wanted to make sure that Griffin knew without a doubt that he had not done anything to break the rules of the bet.

Finally, Griffin picked up his fork and said joyfully, so as to break the tension that had prevailed upon the party, “Well, I suggest you keep your word to the lovely Lady Gillian, for I’d hate to see her disappointed.”

Benedict wanted to curse. Of course he’d encourage him to do as Lady Gillian said, for Griffin knew that if he were to do so, Benedict would lose the bet. The rest of the dinner felt awkward to Benedict as he could not ignore the pained looked on Lady Gillian’s face no matter how hard he tried. He didn’t blame her for feeling as if he had lied to her, for he certainly had.

Guilt remained his companion for the remainder of the evening. A night that he had anticipated greatly had quickly turned into an evening he wished to erase.

Gillian sat in the drawing room, talking animatedly with her Aunt Miranda. “I just do not understand why he told me he would commission a new wardrobe if he did not mean to do so.”

Miranda scrunched her eyes as she worked on her embroidery. “He did say that he was busy.”

“But that’s just it, Aunt Miranda, one would think, and hope, that it would be a priority for him. He is aware of the controversy he has caused with my mother, not to mention the rest of the
ton
, and I would think he would have a desire to rectify it quickly, for my benefit as well as hers.”

Aunt Miranda laid her embroidery in her lap. Looking at Gillian, she asked, “Do you really want my opinion?”

“But of course I do. I would not be discussing such matters with you if I did not desire your input.”

“Good. Here is what I think—I find Lord Danford to be quite delightful. He is as handsome as you described and very entertaining and it appears that despite his hideous clothing, he has several good friends who rather enjoy his company. If you care for him, then I suggest you take him at his word and believe that indeed, he was too busy to visit his tailor. Do not go seeking trouble where there is none.”

Gillian appraised her beautiful Aunt and smiled. “You are right. I have not known Lord Danford long enough to be able to judge his character entirely. He has never given me a reason not to trust him, so until he does so, I will just have to take him at his word.”

“Yes, that is wise of you. Trust me when I say that jumping to conclusions can be a very hasty and foolish thing to do.”

Gillian watched Aunt Miranda resume her embroidery. She wondered, not for the first time why she was not yet wed. She knew that at four and twenty years, her aunt was very much considered on the shelf, but what she didn’t understand was why no gentleman managed to snag her hand in marriage during her previous seasons before she had chosen to withdraw from society this past year. She was an ethereal beauty and very enjoyable to be around, why she would remain single was a perplexing mystery to Gillian.

“What are you staring at so intently?” Aunt Miranda asked without even looking up from her embroidery.

“Aunt Miranda, why aren’t you married?”

Aunt Miranda looked away from her embroidery and stared sadly out the window. “It is not because of lack of desire, I can assure you.”

“Then why did you remove yourself from London and refuse to participate in the season?”