Chapter Sixteen
Benchley finished dressing Con after his bath.
He could not imagine how long it had taken the Pebblestone staff to heat water for so many guests, but Lady Pebble had said that everyone would have an opportunity to bathe after their vigorous play at lawn games.
Because of that, and the fact they had eaten their fill at the picnic, no afternoon tea had been served.
It was still half an hour before they were to gather in the drawing room before dinner, and he decided to visit the library. Being around books had always soothed him.
When he arrived, Lord Samuel was present. Con decided to cross the Rubicon with Miss Stanhope’s cousin, knowing there would be no going back after he spoke his mind.
“Lord Samuel. Might I have a word?” he asked.
“Of course, my lord.” Then the viscount’s brow furrowed. “This wouldn’t be about Miss Tweedham, would it? Are you interested in her?”
“Easy, Samuel,” he said, taking a seat in a chair to the viscount’s left. “I have no designs upon Miss Tweedham—but it certainly sounds as if you are interested in her.”
He thought it better to speak to Lord Samuel about his interests before Con revealed his own.
“I apologize. I did not mean to sound panicked.”
“You care for Miss Tweedham,” he said, hoping to ease the other man into conversation.
“Quite a bit,” the viscount admitted. “I believe she also has feelings for me. I know you once danced together, though, and I was worried that you believed you might have staked your claim.”
“No,” he said, chuckling. “I will admit that I only asked Miss Tweedham to dance because I asked your cousin to do so first. It seemed rude not to invite her friend to do so as well, since she stood right there.”
Lord Samuel visibly relaxed. “Then you have saved me a conversation with you. I was going to seek you out this evening and spell out my feelings for Miss Tweedham. I did not want it to be a competition between the two of us for her affections.”
“What would you have done if I confessed a tendre for Miss Tweedham?” he asked idly.
The viscount grinned. “Then I might have needed to kill you.”
They both laughed, easy in one another’s company. Because of that, he felt hope rise within him. If Lord Samuel liked him, then he might help Con in wooing Miss Stanhope.
“I came to this house party specifically because your cousin would be in attendance,” he revealed. “I actually paid Lord Clay in order to take his place.”
“You paid off Clay . . . all to see Rowena?”
“Yes. Like you, I wish to share my true feelings with her. In fact, I have done more than hint at them, but she is as prickly as a pear. She either ignores me—or avoids me.”
“Yet I saw you partner at the lawn games this afternoon.”
“That could not be helped. She would never be impolite, and that is what it would have taken for her to dump me and find a new partner.” He hesitated and then decided to take the plunge. “I think I might just be in love with her.”
Lord Samuel broke out in a huge smile. “That would be wonderful, my lord. Rowena needs love in her life. My uncle depended upon her, but he never truly showed her any love. Rowena is the most capable woman I know, but she has a tendency to keep others at bay.”
“She has indicated to me that she will remain in the country permanently. That she will never wed.”
“I think my cousin has armed herself in battle gear like a knight of old. If you can get through the walls which she has erected around her, Lord Marley, you will never find a more loyal, loving woman.”
“Thank you for listening to me.”
“Do you have a plan to win over Rowena?”
He shook his head. “I am making it up as I go along.”
“If the time is right and the moment would not seem forced, I will put in a good word for you,” Lord Samuel promised.
“I appreciate that. More than I can say.”
Baron Howell entered, and the three of them discussed the neighborhood a bit.
“Did you return your daughter to your home?” he asked.
“Yes, I took Mary and her nursery governess back to Meadowbrook. It was hard to leave Mary again, but I am hoping the time is right to find a new mother for her.”
“She seemed to take to Lady Sarah.”
“Very much so.” Lord Howell smiled. “As have I.”
Con was glad to hear that. He knew Lady Sarah had been out for many years. The baron would be a good husband to her. Though Lady Sarah had a huge dowry, it had not tempted any men in Polite Society. He hoped these two would find happiness together.
“We should go to the drawing room,” he told the other two.
He did not attempt to seek out Miss Stanhope, but he always knew where she was in the room and whom she spoke with.
She seemed at ease with others here, and he wondered why she had not been successful at finding a husband.
Then again, if fate had brought them together, then it had been waiting for his arrival in her life.
Dinner was the usual affair. Much to his disappointment, Miss Stanhope was seated at the far end of the table. He did enjoy his conversation with Lady Jewell, however. She began telling him a story about India, and soon the whole table had quietened, listening in.
When she finished, Con said, “You have a way with words, my lady. You are a true storyteller. You know how to draw in your audience.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Lady Jewell replied, batting her lashes coquettishly at him.
That was not what he wanted to happen. He had not flirted with a single woman at the house party.
Except for Miss Stanhope, that is. Then he saw Lord Cramer glaring at him and found that interesting.
The earl was quiet and brooding. Lady Jewell was talkative and outgoing.
He had not seen Lord Cramer’s interest coming.
He turned his gaze and kept it on Lord Cramer until the other man met it.
Con shook his head subtly, hoping Cramer received his message that Con had no interest in the woman.
Lady Pebble’s bell rang out now, and he turned his attention to his hostess.
“Tonight, we shall play whist in the library. Two tables will be in play, and that means four couples will compete at a time. One couple will need to sit out each hand. I will allow you to choose your partners as we make our way to the library.”
Con did the quick math in his head and decided he need do nothing.
As guests left the drawing room, they paired up exactly as he had predicted.
Lord Samuel moved immediately to Miss Tweedham’s side.
Lord Howell did the same with Lady Sarah.
Lord Cramer’s wide strides placed him next to Lady Jewell in seconds.
The only couple he took a chance on now were Mr. Tompkins and Miss Lawson. They, too, gravitated toward one another, leaving him a clear path to Miss Stanhope.
Offering her his arm, he said, “I see we are to become partners by default.”
She looked about them as they walked. “You are right. While I knew Ollie seemed to be developing feelings for Miss Tweedham, and I hoped that Lord Howell was doing the same for Lady Sarah, I had no idea the others were forming as couples.”
“Hopefully, you do not mind being part of the pair who will claim victory at cards this evening.”
Clucking her tongue, she said, “My, you seem quite certain of yourself, my lord.”
“I am certain that I have wound up with the best card player in the room, Miss Stanhope.”
“If you listen carefully and do everything I say, I believe we will have more than a fair chance to win.”
They arrived in the library, and she took him aside, outlining her strategies. Con had to admit they were solid.
“I understand my role, Miss Stanhope. I will follow your lead.”
“Do so until I tap my foot against yours,” she advised. “That will be if I think anyone has caught on to our method of play. If that is the case, I want to turn the tables on them.”
“I look forward to play this evening,” he told her, yearning for more than cards to be at play. Lips. Teeth. Tongues. Those were a few of the things Con wanted to use in love play with her. He would not let her down, though. When the time called for it, he had a knack for being able to focus.
They actually sat out the first round, with two of the couples at one table and two at another. While Lord and Lady Pebble spoke with Miss Bailey, he and Miss Stanhope concentrated on the players and analyzed the kind of games they played.
“Lady Jewell gives away when she is ready to take a trick,” he said. “Watch her carefully. She licks her lips each time.”
After two tricks, Miss Stanhope said, “I agree. And look at Lord Howell. One eyebrow shoots up when a card is played in a suit of which he has none.”
They continued evaluating their future opponents. Studying them paid off. Not only were they able to beat all four couples, they did so soundly.
When play for the night ended, Lord Cramer said, “Lord Samuel, you did not tell us that your cousin was so clever at cards.”
“I did not know that myself,” the viscount admitted. “We have never had an occasion to play together. In fact, we have only seen each other rarely since I have been at Stanfield and she and my uncle resided in town.”
“Miss Stanhope is known for her card play in town,” Con volunteered. “She regularly wins at whist. If she were allowed into the gaming hells of London, she would no doubt emerge victorious from them, as well.”
“Gaming hells are no place for a woman, much less a lady of good breeding,” Lady Pebble declared. “I have sent for the teacarts if anyone is thirsty or hungry.”
“I think Lady Sarah and I are going to take a brief stroll outside,” Lord Howell said.
“A good idea,” agreed Lord Cramer, who looked at Lady Jewell. “Would you care to get a bit of fresh air, my lady?”
One by one, all the couples exited the library, leaving Con with Miss Stanhope with their hosts and Miss Bailey. Miss Bailey said she would retire for the evening.
With four couples traipsing about outside on the lawn and in the gardens, he did not wish to run into any of them and had an idea.
“Perhaps you might consider playing the pianoforte for me, Miss Stanhope.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now, my lady. I would like to hear a bit of music.”
“The drawing room is available, Rowena, dear,” Lady Pebble said. “You may play for Lord Marley there.”
They said goodnight to Lord and Lady Pebble and left the library. She said nothing on their way to the drawing room. Once they reached it, however, it was another matter.
“You do not have to pretend that you wish to hear me play the pianoforte, Lord Marley. Just because the other couples have paired off, I do not expect you to do the same with me. You are welcome to do whatever you wish.”
“Whatever?” he asked huskily, closing the doors behind him to ensure their privacy.
He turned, facing her, seeing the color high on her cheeks. She looked at him, yearning in her eyes. He took a step toward her. They were almost touching now. He refused to bring up kissing, though. Con needed to know it was what she wanted. He already knew he most certainly did.
She wet her lips, causing desire to shoot through him fast as lightning. Being such an innocent, she had no idea how much her gesture weakened his resolve. He fought the urge to reach out. To touch her. To brush his lips against hers.
Then she surprised him. “I believe I want to kiss you again, Lord Marley.”