Chapter 13
CLARK
O n the edge of the Beresfords’ drawing room, I was cornered by a pair of twin sisters and their mother, all three of whom happened to be single.
I was fairly certain the widowed mother intended me for one of her daughters, but the coy glances she cast in my direction implied otherwise.
I had always considered myself moderately skilled at attracting ladies, but I lacked practice deterring them.
Mrs. Aldworth, the mother, let out a laugh that could have shattered the windows.
“Mr. Campbell, you are far too amusing.” Her two identical daughters laughed as well, and I wasn’t sure which giggle sounded more false.
Did Colin and I truly look so alike? It was strange to see another set of twins standing side by side.
I had already forgotten which young lady was Miss Aldworth and which was Miss Elizabeth.
Had I said something amusing? I had been trying very hard to act like Colin, and he was rarely amusing.
It was no wonder he was so arrogant. Women like Mrs. Aldworth and her daughters made him believe he was the most charming man in the room when he had barely said a word.
The public knowledge of his wealth must have put him in this position quite often.
I could see how he could become bored by it very quickly.
I had only been enduring the Aldworths’ flirting for a few minutes and the insincerity of it was already grating on me.
My gaze drifted up to the doorway just as Miss Sharp entered the room.
She wore a soft blue gown with a square neckline and a simple pendant at her throat.
Her dark curls were pinned high on her head, her posture poised and elegant as she made her entrance.
I couldn’t manage to look away as she took one step forward, then another.
She looked inconveniently beautiful, as always.
Her gaze swept over the guests slowly, as if she were searching for something.
Then her eyes settled on me and stopped.
Mrs. Aldworth said something, but I missed the sentence entirely. I tore my gaze away from Miss Sharp with no small amount of effort, my heart thrumming with a sudden desire to cross the room. I flashed a polite smile in Mrs. Aldworth’s direction. “Please excuse me.”
Her features crumpled with disappointment as I stepped past her and her daughters. I had told Miss Sharp that morning that I wanted to be her only suitor. I had to ensure that she knew she was the only lady I was interested in courting, even if Mrs. Aldworth felt slighted by my abrupt departure.
I halted my thoughts, reminding myself that this courtship wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be.
At the end, I would have to reveal to Miss Sharp that I couldn’t give her the fortune she desired, and that the entire thing had been arranged by my brother.
The thought made my stomach ill, so I chose not to think of the end.
This was still the beginning—perhaps the middle—and something inside me wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.
“Good evening, Miss Sharp,” I said as I stepped up beside her. Her dark eyes flickered up to mine. There was a constant edge of curiosity and doubt in them, as if she still couldn’t quite believe that I was willingly approaching her.
“Good evening.” She turned to face me with a soft smile.
I felt suddenly shy, which was not a common occurrence.
What the devil was wrong with me? I had resolved not to act like Colin in her presence, but I was at a party with people whom Colin knew personally.
They would be observing my every action, yet I couldn’t help but smile back at Miss Sharp.
Her chaperone for the evening, Mrs. Ollerton, stood nearby, but she had engaged herself in conversation with another woman in attendance.
“I trust you had an enjoyable day?” I asked.
“Are you feeling much improved?” After seeing her that morning on the brink of fainting, I had been concerned that she wouldn’t attend the party at all.
The man she had been speaking to seemed to have unsettled her, though she hadn’t admitted it.
Who was he? I had only watched their conversation from afar, but I had seen enough to know that she hadn’t been comfortable. Not in the slightest.
“Yes, I feel much better.” She looked down at the floor before her gaze traveled behind my shoulder. “You left those ladies quite disappointed. Perhaps you should continue your conversation.”
I knew she was referring to the Aldworths.
I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that they were glaring at Miss Sharp for stealing my attention.
Was this Colin’s experience at every event he attended?
I felt like a slice of bread on a beach full of seabirds.
“I would much rather disappoint them than you.”
She raised her eyebrows. “What makes you assume I would have been disappointed?”
I grinned. “I saw you searching for me when you entered the room.”
She scoffed, tugging at one of her gloves. “I was not.”
“I was searching for you.”
Her eyes lifted, but she said nothing.
“Why are you still so surprised?” I asked in a low voice.
She sighed. “At events like these…I am quite accustomed to being ignored. Kate Ollerton is the only reason I have made any connections at all.”
I studied her stoic expression. I wished I could tell her how deeply I understood her position.
I had been ignored all my life for my lack of possessions and status.
I had watched Colin receive all the attention, praise, and admiration that I had been so desperate for.
I had felt like the lesser half of one person, and even now I still wasn’t permitted to be myself.
In Miss Sharp’s eyes, I was Colin, and that was the only reason she was speaking to me at all.
A deep sense of pain encircled my heart, gripping tightly enough to freeze my breath in my lungs.
I swallowed my emotions, startled by the intensity of them. “Well, if it is any consolation,” I whispered, “I find you quite impossible to ignore.”
Miss Sharp didn’t shy away from the compliment, but instead searched my face for several seconds as if trying to solve a puzzle of some sort. Part of me wanted her to solve it so my ruse could be over, but how could she? She didn’t know Colin had a twin. No one knew—not here in Bath.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of two more guests stepping into the drawing room.
I looked once, then twice. I cursed inwardly, my heart jumping.
The older of the two women was instantly familiar, and despite her petite frame, gray curls, and innocent expression, the sight of her face sent a chill across my shoulders.
It was Mrs. Prudence Wickerton.
At home in Derbyshire, she had been known for spreading gossip and rumors with plenty of evidence to confirm them.
Despite Colin’s efforts to quiet the scandal of my broken engagement, Mrs. Wickerton had caught wind of it and spread the news to all her friends and neighbors.
I could still see the woman bustling about the countryside in her mobcap, always walking briskly as if late for one appointment or another, holding a tiny ledger that she claimed to fill with ‘things to remember in prayer,’ when truly I had no doubt that she filled it with ‘things to gossip about at tea.’
What the devil was she doing in Bath? She had been known to travel from one family member to the next, relying on their hospitality to live comfortably.
Bath did tend to draw in older tourists hoping to partake of the healing waters.
Whatever Mrs. Wickerton’s reason for being here, I had mere seconds before she would recognize me.
I didn’t dare imagine what she would say.
How closely had she memorized the differences between Colin and me?
Surely she hadn’t noticed the freckle on my right earlobe.
I shuddered at the thought of Mrs. Wickerton ever being close enough—or observant enough—to notice such a small detail.
I could only hope that her eyesight was as poor as her manners.
“Are you all right?” Miss Sharp asked. I realized that I had been staring at Mrs. Wickerton and her companion for far too long. Miss Sharp followed my gaze to the doorway with a frown.
Blast it. I had hoped not to be caught. Dread rattled through my stomach.
At some point in the evening, Mrs. Wickerton would recognize me.
It was far too late to escape unnoticed.
“Yes, forgive me.” I cleared my throat, angling myself away from the doorway as Mrs. Wickerton drifted past. Thankfully she didn’t look in my direction. Not yet, anyway.
“You look rather terrified.” Miss Sharp was still staring at Mrs. Wickerton.
How had she determined the source of my dismay so quickly?
As observant as she was, I was surprised she hadn’t already determined that I was impersonating Colin.
With a few more clues, she would come to the truth, I was certain of it.
And Mrs. Wickerton could very well provide those clues that very evening.
“Terrified?” I laughed. “Of what?”
“That woman.” Miss Sharp nodded in Mrs. Wickerton’s direction. “Do you know her?”
It wouldn’t help my situation to lie about our acquaintance, so I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. She is one of my neighbors in Derbyshire.”
Miss Sharp tipped her head to one side, her lips twisting in a small smile. “She looks innocent enough.”
“She is not.”
A laugh bubbled out of her mouth. “What has she done to you?”
I grimaced, but Miss Sharp continued grinning as if she were thoroughly entertained that such a small, elderly woman could unsettle me. I leaned closer with a whisper. “She is the most determined gossipmonger I have ever encountered. She has spread rumors about my family on more than one occasion.”
Miss Sharp raised an eyebrow. “It must not be entirely her fault. Why were you giving her matters to gossip about?”
“She will spin a tale out of anything.” I tried to take a breath, but it caught in my lungs.
I glanced at the door. Could I make a quick escape?
How would I explain the abrupt departure to Miss Sharp?
The debate spiraled through my mind for several seconds before a set of fingers settled softly on my forearm.
My gaze connected with Miss Sharp’s. My thoughts instantly halted.
She looked shy but determined at the same time, her coffee-brown eyes blinking slowly up at me while her lips pressed together nervously.
Her touch on my arm sent a jolt of warmth through my body, a connection I couldn’t recall ever experiencing.
“Will she spin a tale out of this?” she asked in a quiet voice.
The hint of mischief in her eyes nearly undid me.
My mind wove her words together, and though I should have been vexed by her desire to touch me and be seen by a gossipmonger, all I could think of was the fact that she was touching me—willingly, gently, and without any fear of what the other guests would think.
A fortune-hunting woman could only benefit from rumors about such an interaction, yet pathetically, I didn’t mind at all.
“Most likely.” My voice was low enough for only Miss Sharp to hear, but not intentionally.
I was weakened by those five small fingers around my arm.
How ridiculous. The urge to shake my arm free of her touch was quickly swept away by the smile on her lips.
My heart pounded like the traitor it was.
She was hoping to cause a scene, perhaps even seeking an opportunity to ensnare me.
There was a reason Colin had felt so threatened by her, so confused and eager to shut down her schemes—because she was devious.
She was skilled. And she would play me for a fool if I wasn’t careful.
“Perhaps we should keep to ourselves this evening, then,” she whispered.
She clearly knew what she was doing when she slid her fingers slowly across my arm in the process of lowering her hand.
Then she crossed her arms, glancing over her shoulder at her chaperone as if to ensure she hadn’t witnessed the gesture.
A hint of shyness returned to her expression.
“I wouldn’t wish for anything untrue to spread about the nature of our acquaintance. ”
My brow furrowed. Surely she didn’t mean that. “What falsehoods could she interpret?”
Miss Sharp shrugged. “You said you were intrigued by me, nothing more. She might assume there is more.”
“Perhaps she would be right.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but I didn’t feel any regret. Wasn’t it my quest to charm her? But the line between truth and strategy was blurring, and my new captivation by Miss Sharp was alarming.
Her eyes jumped to mine, a hint of pink seeping into the centers of her cheeks. Before she could reply, a familiar, squawking voice came from behind me.
“Could this be one of the Mr. Campbells?”