Chapter 3
Stomping up the front stairs to his residence, Ambrose was determined to hide away in his study for the rest of the day. He shouldn’t have kissed Daphne out in the open, placing her reputation at risk even if he’d tripled checked that there was no one about. It wasn’t the first time Daphne had piqued his curiosity. And it certainly wasn’t the first time he’d thought about kissing the minx. Regardless, his behavior had been reckless and entirely inappropriate. He should feel remorseful, ashamed of himself. Yet he didn’t regret kissing Daphne, not in the least. In fact, he was struggling not to turn around, track her down, and kiss her once more. All his worries and responsibilities had ceased to exist for those few precious moments when her soft lips rubbed against his. Had it been an anomaly or would all her kisses banish the world around him?
As soon as he planted both feet on the top step, the front door swung wide open. Alice, not his butler, greeted him.
Standing in the middle of the threshold with her hands on her hips, Alice asked, “Where the devil have you been? I’ve been worried sick.” His sister reached up and cupped his jaw, pulling him down so she could inspect his face. “Well, the slight bruise lying beneath your flushed cheeks confirms you did indeed visit your pugilist club. But it doesn’t explain why you have been away all afternoon, so where...”
He waved his hand from side to side, indicating for Alice to move out of his way, which much to his surprise, she did without protest. Ambrose trudged straight through the foyer, knowing Alice would follow him.
“Ambrose Christian James Kirkman. Stop or… or…”
“I need a drink. You can interrogate me in my study and not on the front stoop.”
Without waiting, Alice strode directly to his study and poured him a finger of brandy. He sank into the chair behind his desk laden with ledgers and took the tumbler from his sister. “My thanks for your concern.” He raised the glass and added, “And for the pour.”
“Are you ready to tell me where and what exactly you have been up to?”
Bloody hell. He was the older sibling. He did not answer to Alice. Except guilt had him avoiding his sister’s gaze and staring into his glass. Had Daphne enjoyed his kisses? Was she as dazed and confused by their interlude? Ambrose snuck a look at Alice seated opposite from him with her arms crossed over her chest, fingers drumming against her arm. He sat back and studied Alice closer. Her cheeks were slightly more defined, and there were faint lines at the corner of her eyes. He had somehow missed his sister’s transformation from an unruly girl in pigtails into the fearless young lady before him. His hand clenched about his tumbler as the memory of Daphne’s flushed cheeks and shallow breaths came to the forefront of his thoughts. He was a dolt for failing to take notice of Lady Daphne earlier. Ambrose tried to recall the last time whilst in Town that he hadn’t set eyes upon Lady Daphne. He couldn’t recall a single day.
Alice uncrossed her arms and tucked her hands under her. For a brief moment, she transformed back into his little sister who had sat next to him as they watched their father balance ledgers. The six-year gap in age between them had once seemed to place them in two separate worlds. That was no longer the case.
Feeling nostalgic, he answered her question. “I went to Hyde Park for a walk. Boxing was of no help to sort out my thoughts.” He lifted his glass and stalled at his sister’s narrowed gaze.
Alice asked, “And what occurred while you were wandering about?”
Blimey, her ability to read him had improved over the years. So as not to give her any more cause to question him and squelch his inner panic, he calmly answered, “Nothing happened. Why would you ask such a peculiar question?”
“Brother dear, you rarely drink. You seldom greet me with any other expression than a smile, unless you are preoccupied with a matter of import. Tell me, what transpired at the park that has you frowning rather than smiling?”
To date, his experience with women had been limited to a few chaste kisses from a daring miss or two. His spontaneous kiss with Lady Daphne had shaken him to his core. He wanted to confess to the damned kiss, but how could he tell Alice he’d acted out of character and taken advantage of her best friend… in truth, Alice’s only real friend. Whether it was genetics or mindset, both of them trusted few and confided in even fewer.
“Well?” Alice prompted once more.
His sister was tenacious. Even if he managed to evade her questions now, it would only be a matter of time before she cornered him and badgered him about this again.
“By pure coincidence I happened to cross paths with your friend Lady Daphne.”
Alice leaned back slightly and glared at him. “And?”
Damn his sister and her one-word responses. “And I asked her for her assistance.”
“What? You asked Daphne for help?” Alice’s I’m ready to do battle stare instantly transformed into a look of disbelief.
“Yes. I asked and she agreed to assist me in finding you a husband since this Season shall be your last given… you know…given we are short of funds.”
“You can’t be serious. You know I have no desire to marry.” Alice resumed her earlier stance, crossing her arms over the chest, and huffed. “If it hadn’t been for the fact that you never ask for help from anyone, I wouldn’t have agreed to assist you with your ridiculous scheme. Have you fallen ill or gone mad? Why the sudden changes in your behavior?”
Why indeed. Since he couldn’t answer those exact questions he’d asked of himself earlier, how was he to answer Alice?
The best course of action when dealing with difficult topics with Alice was to redirect her attention. In this case, he would share his concerns for his sister that had been weighing on his mind but hadn’t wished to address. “Wouldn’t you agree that we are both of the age where we should marry?” He paused to place his empty glass on his desk, before sitting back and mirroring his sister’s pose. Arms crossed over his chest he continued, “Each Season I’ve watched and allowed you to devise ways to dissuade suitors, all the while hoping one of them would prove himself to be resilient and worthy of your hand. I can only imagine your disappointment was ten times more than mine as each fool gave up and married another. This Season, my ruse means that there is no need for you to concoct another outrageous test for a suitor to conquer. If a gentleman were to show interest in marrying you this Season, it would be due to his interest in you as a person, not due to your affiliation to me or our large coffers.” He unfolded his arms, clasped his hands together upon the desk, and hunched forward. He may have been a low-ranking peer, a mere baron, but his coffers now matched that of a royal duke thanks to his long and continued membership of Masters. The secret gentleman’s club consisted of twenty members whose elite financial status was the only membership requirement. “I sincerely wish for us both to marry for love, and for no other reason.”
His sister’s jaw had slackened and her mouth was left agape slightly. She glanced at his empty glass, and after a moment she clenched her jaw and thinned her lips. When her nostrils flared, he braced himself for her response.
She pointed at his tumbler. “You’re drinking to mask your embarrassment.” Her steady gaze returned to him and she added, “You cannot fool me, Ambrose. Your cheeks are flushed not because of the alcohol but because they always turn a shade red when you are lying. Out with the truth. What really occurred in the park?”
Having an all too smart and observant sister was a nuisance. “I may have kissed Lady Daphne.”
“What in the blazes!” Alice leapt to her feet but then quickly regained her composure and sank back down in her seat. “May have? You either did or did you not kiss my best friend. Which is it?”
“I did. I kissed your friend.” His chest seemed less constricted after confessing. He rose to refill his glass, giving Alice time to mull over the news.
Her gaze tracked him to the sideboard and back. Once he was reseated, Alice frowned and said, “You. You kissed Daphne.”
He simply nodded. There was absolutely no reason to share with Alice that the memory of his kiss still shook him to his core.
Alice closed her eyes for a moment and lifted her face to the ceiling. Ambrose counted to ten and was surprised Alice didn’t reopen her eyes and glare at him.
It was only after he’d counted up to thirty did Alice return her still slightly confused gaze upon him. “Just so that I’m clear on the matter, it was you who initiated the kiss, correct?”
While he didn’t make a habit of going about kissing women, his confession wasn’t so shocking as to warrant Alice’s confusion. He looked directly at Alice and nodded. “Yes, it was I who initiated the kiss.”
“Oh blimey, and here I’d hoped Daphne’s first kiss would be with a rake, with someone who knew how to go about things.”
He picked up his tumbler and took a healthy sip of the amber liquid. He did not care for the direction of the conversation, but brotherly concern had him asking, “Is that what you are hoping for? To share your first kiss with a rake?”
“Ambrose! There are some things you simply should never ask.”
He heartily agreed. Upon reflection, this was not a conversation you had with your younger sister. It was all too embarrassing. He needed Alice to leave before the conversation went down a path where he might find himself confessing that he’d never lain with a woman before. “Shouldn’t you be getting ready for tonight’s ball or something?”
The scratch at the study door saved his sister from responding.
Higgins, their aging butler, entered with a note upon the salver. “Miss Alice.”
“Thank you, Higgins.” Alice took the note and gave the old man a smile. “Is there a footman awaiting a response?”
“No, miss. However, I’ve sent the package that accompanied the note up to your rooms.” Higgins bowed and left the room.
Ambrose handed her a letter opener and watched his sister slice through the paper and read the missive.
“Who is it from?”
With a broad smile, Alice answered, “Daphne. She says she’s looking forward to seeing me this eve in my new gown.”
“New gown? Didn’t we agree you were to repurpose last Season’s ensembles for the first few balls, to allow the gossip mongers time to spread the news of our dire financial position?”
“We did.” Alice stood and grinned. “However, it appears you successfully convinced Daphne to help you find me a husband.” Alice placed her hands on the arms of her chair, pushed herself up to stand, and sighed. “I’ll have to be on alert this Season, for there is no telling to what lengths Daphne will go to make your wish come true.” His sister”s gaze flickered from the parchment to him and then back. “Daphne may appear docile to most, but I know her best, and it will be a challenge to deviate her from the course she’s set herself on. A challenge for certain.”
Docile was not an adjective that came to his mind when he thought of Daphne. Tenacious, or mayhap daring, especially after her bold proposal. Alice’s remarks regarding Daphne’s disposition piqued his interest.
Alice folded the parchment and waved it in air. “Will you be making an appearance at the Hadfield soiree tonight?”
“I hadn’t planned on attending because Aunt Olive will be accompanying you this eve.”
His sister gave him her devilish, I’m up to no good smile. “You won’t find a wife hiding in your study.”
He stopped himself from rolling his eyes at his sister and said, “Point noted.”
Alice nodded and skipped out of the study.
Ambrose smiled—finally he had a glimpse of his younger sister.