Chapter 2
Bath, England
THREE YEARS LATER
ARABELLA
T here was no better place to find a rich gentleman than a soiree in the Royal Crescent. That was what Kate told me, anyway. And there was no one who knew how to catch a rich husband like Kate Ollerton.
I held gently to the arm of my newly acquired friend, surveying Lady Benton’s drawing room with a soft—perhaps even slightly bored—expression. I couldn’t appear overly eager, of course.
Kate fluttered her fan softly in front of our faces to hide her whisper, her rose perfume wafting toward my nostrils. “I am almost certain Mr. Campbell was invited. He should be here any minute.”
I gave the smallest of nods, offering a secretive smile before Kate lowered her fan again. Colin Campbell was easily in the top five most desirable gentlemen in Bath, and everyone knew it.
For me, he was at the very top of the list.
I had been keeping my eye on him for the past three weeks.
With Kate’s help, I had secured an invitation to every party that he attended, as well as every assembly or tea room he frequented.
Mr. Campbell had a grand estate in Derbyshire, a London townhouse, and a residence here in Bath.
The exact total of his fortune was unknown, but it was estimated to be nearly forty thousand pounds.
Besides the perfection of those circumstances, Colin Campbell wasn’t twice my age like some of the other gentlemen I had met.
I enjoyed that particular detail about him, though I couldn’t afford to be entirely opposed to older men.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, after all—especially when that beggar had only a few weeks remaining to succeed.
I swiftly pushed aside my worries. They always seemed to ruin my bored expression.
Mr. Campbell was rarely on time to any event; I had learned that much about him during my pursuit.
Besides his poor punctuality, I had also observed that his hair was always arranged perfectly, not a strand out of place.
I had never seen a single wrinkle on his clothing.
Perhaps that was why he was always running several minutes behind the rest of society.
I could learn to live with it, I supposed, if he would give me forty thousand pounds. It seemed to be a fair exchange.
First he would have to notice me, of course.
Thus far, I had only managed to capture Mr. Campbell’s attention at any event for an impressive ten seconds.
It was more than most ladies managed. Tonight, I was hoping for twenty.
I held my chin high as I surveyed the room.
Pretending to be confident was the first step to being so.
Aunt Julia stood to my right, but she was distracted by the wallpaper.
She knew I had an interest in Mr. Campbell, though she was not as reliable as Kate at giving me advice, nor did she have experience to grant her any credibility.
Kate on the other hand had managed to secure Mr. Ollerton during her previous season, even while he was being pursued by practically every lady in London.
Kate was beautiful—with her honey-hued curls and green eyes—which had certainly helped.
But most of all, she was smart.
“A man like Mr. Campbell is not looking for a silly wife,” Kate whispered. “I suspect he is looking for a woman who is neat and orderly, much like himself.” She straightened the pendant at my neck, then a curl on the left side of my face. Taking a step back, she seemed to be assessing my symmetry.
I gulped. The words neat and orderly didn’t describe me at all.
“I think you may have been a bit too forward at the assembly yesterday,” Kate whispered.
She grimaced at the same moment I did. I had been trying very hard to forget about the comment I had made about the long row of buttons on his waistcoat.
I hadn’t known what to say to begin a conversation, so I had panicked.
I imagine those buttons take a great deal of time to unfasten, I had said.
The horror in his eyes had been enough to convince me that I had lost my chance with him entirely, but Kate was far more optimistic than I was.
I groaned. “Let us hope he has forgotten that conversation.”
Kate pressed her lips together with a devious smile. “Most men won’t be offended by your thinking about unfastening their waistcoat.”
“But I wasn’t! It was meant to be a compliment to his buttons. They were obviously imported. And there were so many. I thought it might be a reasonable way to start a conversation.”
Kate stifled a laugh, then leaned close with a whisper. “Try again this evening, but try not to imply that you wish to undress him.”
My face tingled with heat just as Aunt Julia stopped admiring the blue wallpaper. She was not aware of my folly from the night before, and I wished to keep it that way.
Focus, Arabella, I told myself. The pressure of my circumstances felt like a large rock strapped to my chest, and it squeezed out the most awkward of comments. If I had more time, or more prospects, or less desperation for money, I might have been able to speak without sounding like a madwoman.
With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and imagined that I was Kate during her Season. Beautiful, well-trained, motivated by nothing but ambition, and facing no dire consequences if I failed.
“There he is,” Kate’s whisper brushed through the air, and my eyes snapped open.
Colin Campbell stood in the doorway. His dark brown hair was combed neatly behind his ears, the candlelight glinting off his stoic blue eyes.
His broad shoulders tapered down to a slim waist, and the snug black jacket he wore was free of wrinkles, as usual.
His waistcoat was fastened with even more buttons than the night before.
Pay no mind to the buttons , I reminded myself, snapping my gaze back to his face.
I couldn’t help but wonder if his bored expression was fabricated like mine, or if it was real.
Either way, it was quite intimidating. Kate had described him as neat and orderly, but I would add stiff, unapproachable, and cold to that list. Most ladies in Bath had seemed to give up on approaching him, but giving up was not an option for me.
Perhaps all I needed was to be more resilient than my competition.
I watched from my station beside Aunt Julia and Kate as Mr. Campbell greeted our hostess, Lady Benton.
From my limited research, I had learned that Mr. Campbell currently resided in the Circus, a circle of golden stone townhouses similar to those in the Royal Crescent.
My residence with Aunt Julia and my brother on Milsom Street was not nearly as prestigious.
Without my connection to Kate, my station would have likely prevented my invitation this evening entirely.
I watched Mr. Campbell turn away from Lady Benton, taking a quick sweep of the room with his gaze.
I held perfectly still, examining the chandelier so he would not catch me staring at him.
Or was it better to allow him to catch me?
Hiding my interest would not serve any purpose, would it?
I debated the matter in my mind for several seconds until my eyes flickered straight toward Mr. Campbell’s face.
Not a second later, he caught my gaze.
Drat. I blinked fast in dismay, which might have easily been mistaken for a poor attempt at fluttering my eyelashes.
I was not off to a very promising start.
“You ought to speak with him before dinner,” Kate said in an urgent tone. “You may not have another opportunity.”
I calculated the number of steps it would take to reach him, but that was as far as my mind went. I had no idea what to say when I reached his side, but Kate nudged me forward. “Go. Now.” Before I could give them permission to do so, my legs began carrying me in Mr. Campbell’s direction.
He was moments away from joining a group of gentlemen near the window, but I stopped him. “Mr. Campbell,” I blurted a little too abruptly.
He froze for a second or two before turning to face me.
“Miss Sharp.” His voice was laced with hesitation.
I gave my best curtsy, searching for words— any words —I might say that were less awkward than the ones I had selected the night before.
My gaze flickered to his buttons before jumping back to his face.
I steadied myself with a breath, offering a flirtatious smile.
“I have yet to find you absent from any party. You must be the most well-connected gentleman in all of Bath.”
He studied my face for a moment, his eyelids heavy. “Does that make you the most well-connected lady?”
I laughed, waving a hand through the air. “Surely not.” Modesty would serve me well, I imagined. I blinked up at him innocently.
Mr. Campbell interlocked his hands behind his back. “I do find it interesting that we happen to be attending all the same events.”
I could thank Kate’s investigative skills for that. I sensed her watching our conversation, but I doubted she could overhear. “Yes, I find it to be a very pleasant coincidence.” I thought the comment to be polite, but Mr. Campbell’s brow was smooth, lacking even a hint of appreciation.
He lowered his voice. “Or you are simply contriving to be wherever I am on any given evening.”
My eyes rounded, but I pretended to think he was only jesting.
A laugh much louder than I expected escaped my throat.
“I would much rather think it is you who is contriving to be where I am.” It was a bold statement, but not as bold as his.
His was true —yes—but still very bold. I maintained my flirtatious smile even as he examined me with a condescending look.
“The evidence would suggest otherwise. I was walking away when you approached me, was I not?” His voice was cold, yet it made my cheeks burn. I had known he was boring, but not this impertinent.
I cleared my throat, deciding that it was best to skirt past the subject. “Let us settle the matter as a coincidence. There is no…contriving to be found.”