Chapter 15
When Alice arrived at the breakfast room the next day, she found her mother in much better spirits than she had been last night after having to leave Lady Salisbury’s ball early.
“Alice, dear, you look absolutely radiant.” Lady Brandon beamed at her.
“Ah, perhaps it was the tea that Lady Wellington recommended,” she replied, taking her usual seat beside Phoebe, who smiled sympathetically at her. Alice simply nodded wordlessly and smiled back as she poured herself some tea and began adding some milk.
“The Countess certainly makes the best suggestions.” Their mama nodded with a bright smile. “And it rather looks like she did an exceptional job raising His Grace and Lady Evelyn.”
Alice nearly dropped her spoon into her tea while Phoebe ducked her head. If Lady Wellington had been more successful in managing Colin Fitzroy, then he most probably would not have become a Wolf or the infamous Duke of Thorns.
“What I meant was that Lady Evelyn seems like a lovely young lady,” Lady Brandon corrected herself with a sheepish look towards Phoebe. “Wouldn’t you say so, my dear?”
So lovely, indeed, that it fairly boggles the mind how she could be related to the Duke of Thorns, much less be his full-blooded sibling…
“Yes, Mama,” Phoebe replied politely, ever the picture of the perfect young lady.
“And every young man goes through rough phases,” the Marchioness continued. “Why, when your father was younger, half the young ladies feared him for his reputation. When he expressed his interest in me, my poor mother had an attack of the vapors!”
“Really, Mama?” Alice grinned. “I could not imagine Papa being as much of a troublemaker as you say.”
“Oh, he was. No doubt about it.” Lady Brandon laughed. “But you know what they say?—”
“Reformed rakes make the best husbands!” Alice and Phoebe both chimed in together. The sisters shared a look before bursting into giggles.
“Yes, yes, absolutely! Which is why you should not judge a gentleman solely based on his past,” their mother reminded them with a stern glance. “Actions speak louder than words.”
“I thought that a gentleman’s reputation is most certainly earned,” Phoebe remarked with a slight twitch of her nose. “And to keep well away from gentlemen of infamy.”
Lady Brandon colored slightly and cleared her throat delicately. “One must exercise judgment in such matters, of course, my dear. When you are young, it is not so easy to tell bad apples from the rest—which is why I would advise you to heed my warnings.”
Breakfast proceeded in very much the same way as it mostly did in Brandon Estate—with the Marchioness alternating between exalting her two daughters and then admonishing them for some social misstep or another. Strangely enough, Alice—who was usually the recipient of such admonishments—was spared from most of it.
“And, oh! Do not forget to take the coach when you go out to promenade in the Park later this afternoon,” she reminded the two young ladies.
“But, Mama,” Phoebe reasoned, “I do not think it would be a good idea, considering that everybody would still be abed, recovering from last night’s ball.”
Indeed, a ball could last fairly into the morning, and from what Alice had experienced of Lady Salisbury’s balls in her previous Seasons, these affairs ended with breakfast before their fatigued guests headed back for their respective residences. Hardly anyone would be compelled to drag themselves to the Park for a promenade, even in the afternoon.
But Lady Brandon would not be dissuaded, insisting that it was a promenade that set Alice on the path of the Duke of Blackthorn, and if it worked for the older sister, then it should work for the younger sister as well.
“I do not think marrying another duke would be a good idea,” Phoebe confided in Alice later that afternoon as they strolled down the paths of Hyde Park.
“Why not?” Alice smiled. “Please do not tell me that my betrothal has given you cause for worry, dearest.”
Her younger sister shook her head. “It is not that,” she whispered. “But Mama is rather convinced that I will marry a duke as well and—” She sighed heavily, the frustration evident in her eyes. “As you can see, the only dukes that are available for marriage are the Wolves—minus the Duke of Blackthorn, of course.”
Of course.
In the eyes of her sister and the rest of the world, she was marrying Colin, after all.
“And I do not think that is a good idea at all,” Phoebe finished. “I mean, I would much rather find a man who is my match in temperament. I fear that a duke might be too much for me.”
Alice smiled as Phoebe expressed what happened to be seriously valid concerns. Her younger sister had always been the more sensible of the two of them, and she could see that Phoebe had already taken everything into consideration.
“Well,” she said with a soft smile as she idly twirled her parasol. “You truly do not have to marry a duke if you do not want to…”
“Won’t Mama be disappointed in me?”
Alice pursed her lips. “I daresay she cannot be more disappointed in you than she has been with me—although I suppose that I have recovered my favorable standing with my betrothal.”
Truly, at that point, she was certain that her parents would have settled for any betrothal at all.
“Oh look!” Phoebe suddenly exclaimed. “Is that not His Grace and his other friend?”
Alice turned her gaze in the direction her sister was pointing and found Colin strolling leisurely with Ethan by his side. Her heart did an odd flip in her chest as she looked at him—from his dark jacket defining his broad shoulders to his narrow hips. Her gaze lingered on his lips and hands, which had evoked such a fierce longing in her just last night.
Both men appeared to be deep in a serious conversation of sorts, with Colin’s expression looking far graver than that of his friend. But Colin rarely ever stepped out of Blackthorn Estate.
What were the two men doing out in the Park today?
* * *
“I swear she is going to drive me insane!” Colin muttered as he strode down the paths of Hyde Park. If he had remained a minute more in Blackthorn Estate, his grandmother would have dragged him into her preparations for the house party.
Fortunately, after the Salisbury ball last night, most of Society was still loath to emerge into the public, and the Park was far quieter than it was on regular days. It had given him the reprieve he sought away from his own home.
“You have to admit, it has been years since your grandmother had any cause for attending the London Season,” Ethan pointed out to him. “If it was not for Evie, I doubt she would even step out of your country estate—which you should be grateful for, by the way.”
Of course, Colin was grateful for the reprieve he got the past five years. With his grandmother firmly ensconced in the country, preparing Evelyn for her debut, he had been able to mostly avoid her badgering him into marriage.
Naturally, she did not bring it up so soon after his parents’ death, but of late, Lady Wellington seemed to be putting in a greater effort at seeing both of her grandchildren happily married off.
The key word in all this being happily. Colin did not believe such a thing to be possible for him. Not when his father’s blood still ran through his veins.
“Oh look!” he heard Ethan exclaim with more excitement in his tone. “The daughters of Lord Brandon are also out on this fine day!”
The thought of meeting Alice so soon again after the events of last night sent a fierce bolt of desire through Colin. His hands clenched into fists as he looked in the direction that Ethan was pointing to find two young ladies with their parasols out to shield their delicate features from the harsh afternoon sunlight. However, only one mattered to him.
His gaze narrowed in on Alice, who was dressed in a muted peach gown that brought out the rosiness of her complexion. Her hair had been done simply and elegantly, tucked neatly into a bonnet of the same color as her dress. There was a faint flush in her cheeks that looked most becoming on her, but it was her lips that his gaze lingered on.
Those same lips that he had had the most thrilling privilege of sampling just last night had eroded nearly all his capability for rational thought. All throughout the ball, even in her absence, all he could think about were those lips of hers—and how he wanted more of them.
He shook his head as he and Ethan walked towards the two young ladies. At this point, it would be rude if they were to avoid them entirely and most unusual, considering that he was supposedly so enamored with his betrothed that he had run up to her father to practically demand her hand in marriage the moment he laid eyes on her.
Such a whimsical, romantic lie.
But one that the tonhad happily lapped up anyway and one that he was content to perpetuate, if only for his sister’s sake.
He watched stonily as Ethan bounded up to the two ladies, greeting them enthusiastically. It was when Alice smiled at his friend in return that something else stirred in him—a most novel yet unpleasant emotion and one that he found himself being constantly subjected to since he had met Alice Barkley.
He had never thought that a betrothal—even a fake one—could be incredibly vexing.
“What brings you two lovely ladies out on this fine day?” he heard his friend inquire of them.
“Indeed,” he drawled, keeping his sharp gaze on Alice. To her credit, she did not even flinch and met his gaze with a defiant tilt of her chin. “I would have thought that my betrothed would be keeping to her bed after the most crippling headache she had suffered last night.”
He caught the flash of anger in her eyes before she masked it with a brilliant smile. “A bit of fresh air has always been beneficial for one’s health,” she replied flippantly. “After all, if one were to restrict oneself to such stuffy accommodations at all times, it would not only be a predisposition to ill health but a nasty temper as well.”
Ethan burst into a guffaw at her words and then promptly shut up when Colin shot him a murderous glare. Still, he could not hide his glee.
“Now, how did you ever come across such interesting information, My Lady?” the Duke of Sinclair asked her genially.
Alice’s response was a saccharine smile. “Contrary to what most gentlemen would like to believe, we ladies do know how to read, Your Grace.”
“Although,” Colin interjected with a devious smile, an eyebrow cocked as he regarded her, “I am most certain that Lady Alice’s preference in reading material is not limited to the spheres of wellness and medicine.”
“Indeed,” she shot back, her smile just as crafty as his own. “When it comes to books, one could say that I can be… insatiable.”
Colin nearly reeled when he heard the word rolling out of her lips, calling to mind the image of their naked bodies tangled beneath the sheets…
Insatiable, indeed! She was going to pay for that insinuation—and dearly.
“In that case, you and Colin are well-matched.” Ethan grinned at her. “He has one of the finest libraries in all of England, and his collection of rare books is second to none.”
“Do not say more, Your Grace.” Alice laughed lightly. “Or else the Duke—Colin—might think that I am marrying him purely to gain access to his collection.”
She glanced up at him—a pointed reminder of yet another clause in their agreement.
Of course, he had not forgotten about that specific part. Hopefully, Alice had not also disregarded the part of their agreement where she could only read that particular book from his collection underhis supervision.
His grin flashed in response to her challenge. Already, he was looking forward to their first reading session. He could almost imagine how she would react to the more shocking passages in that novel.
And he would enjoy witnessing all of it. That much, he was certain of.