Chapter 5 #2
“I am giving you some time so that you might get to know Lord Windham better.” Her mother winked, fluttering her eyelashes madly. “I think you will learn to like him, Lavinia, so do listen attentively when he speaks.”
Lavinia stared at her mother’s retreating figure, for no sooner had she said those words than Mr. Norton towed her away toward the sweet-smelling pink, white, and red rose bushes.
“Thank goodness,” Lord Windham breathed as soon as they were left alone.
“What?” Lavinia asked as she turned to look up and into his deep blue eyes.
“I am relieved.” He raised his free hand and mimed wiping a bit of perspiration from his brow. “I have been wishing to speak to you in private, Miss Fitzroy, but I did not know how to get you alone.”
Her brow furrowed. “I do not know why you should wish for a private audience with me, Lord Windham. But if there is something on your mind, I would ask you to share it with me.”
“Very well.” He gulped, and she saw a glimpse of the man he had been yesterday. Nervous. Perhaps a bit fearful. But eager to please. “After our paths crossed last night, I went to the library to retrieve a book. When I returned to the room where I’d left you, I found… I found…” He faltered.
Lavinia did not blame him for stumbling over his words. She knew he meant to ask her about the Duke and what had happened when she had walked into that room, but he also was not keen on offending her.
She had been gripping his elbow, and now she took the opportunity to give it a tight squeeze. “Oh, My Lord,” she murmured. “I must tell you that my book remains lost in that room.”
“It does?” His eyebrows rose faintly in surprise.
“I went in, just as you saw, but as soon as the door closed behind me, I was plunged into darkness.” Lavinia widened her eyes to indicate she was frightened. “I tried to squint but could see nothing. My hands fumbled as I searched for a candleholder, but I did not find one of those either.”
His right eyebrow quirked even higher as his astonishment turned into disbelief. “You did not encounter the Duke of Pemberton then?”
Lavinia released his elbow so she could lift both hands and press them to her chest. “Heavens, no!” she gasped. “Should I have met with him?”
Lord Windham tilted his head to the side and regarded her curiously. “That was the Duke of Pemberton’s room,” he said slowly. “If you went inside, as I saw you do, you should have awakened him and—”
“Ha!” Lavinia let out a loud laugh. “I am glad I did not wake the Duke, then. I can only imagine the fright I would have given him.”
“Hmm… Yes, of course.”
Lavinia could not tell from his expression if her explanation had placated him, but she was saved from the embarrassment of adding another fib to her tale when her mother and Mr. Norton rejoined them.
“Come along, dearest.” Her mother nodded politely at Mr. Norton and Lord Windham, but then she jerked her chin, indicating that she was done speaking with the gentlemen and wished for Lavinia to walk with her.
Lavinia did not hesitate. She hastily took her leave of the gentlemen, then raced to her mother’s side.
“Thank you, Mama,” she whispered as they put some distance between them and the men.
“I could see that you were floundering,” her mother replied in an airy tone.
“But that is to be expected. It has been quite some time since you conversed with so many fine gentlemen, and I imagine your skills could use a bit of sharpening. Until you feel ready, it would be best to spend just a few moments in anyone’s company before leaving them wanting more. ”
Lavinia could not believe what she was hearing. She had been stunned when her mother brought up the idea of marriage, but now it seemed that her thoughts were not fleeting. Her mother wanted her to converse with gentlemen, flirt even, and to what end? So she might catch herself a husband?
They walked towards the other side of the field, where a familiar pair caught their attention.
“Henrietta!” her mother exclaimed. It was evident that she was excited to see her dearest friend.
The Dowager Duchess of Pemberton greeted her with a wide grin. Standing behind her was Madeline, and Lavinia grinned at her. They sidestepped their mothers easily, then Lavinia grabbed her friend’s hand and tugged at it.
“We must get away from our mothers,” she whispered. “We are bound to be caught in peril if we don’t escape now.”
She led Madeline towards the less crowded part of the garden.
Most others were standing near the flowerbeds, admiring the array of posies, so Lavinia led Madeline toward the mouth of the maze. Tall hedges rose almost twelve feet high in front of them, allowing Lavinia to feel as if they were shaded and able to escape from prying eyes and listening ears.
“I do not understand this sudden caution of yours, Lavinia. What is with the worry? Our mamas never nag us,” Madeline reminded her.
Lavinia sighed. “But it is different now, Madeline. Don’t you see the worrying abundance of bachelors here?” she pointed out, her eyes darting around the garden. “I believe our mothers are plotting something.”
“But don’t you think you are worrying a bit too much?” Madeline asked. “My mama has not so much as mentioned a desire to see me wed and—”
“Mine has,” Lavinia hissed. She gave her friend a desperate look. “She has mentioned marriage twice…” She screwed up her lips and recounted the conversations she had with her mother over the last several days. “Three or four times, even. She wants me to marry someone soon, and I fear… I fear…”
She could not express her qualms even to her dearest friend. She worried that speaking those truths aloud would make them come true.
“I don’t know,” Madeline said slowly. “My brother said something about marrying me off, but I got the sense that—”
“I’ll prove it to you,” Lavinia interrupted.
She most certainly did not want to discuss the Duke, so she gave that subject the wide berth it deserved.
She watched as her mother and the Dowager Duchess walked towards them. Lord Windham, Lord Selway, and Mr. Norton followed behind the ladies.
“Lavinia,” her mother called as they got closer. “Emanuel here is trying to tell me something. It is quite interesting. You must come hear what he has to say.”
Lavinia’s palms started to sweat. Her interactions with Lord Windham had been extremely limited thus far. But he knew something that others did not.
Surely, he won’t reveal what transpired last night.
She looked up and caught Lord Windham staring at her, his eyes boring into hers. She shivered as her mother, the Dowager Duchess, and the flock of gentlemen drew nearer.
“Did you leave your chambers last night?” her mother asked.
Her fears had become reality.
Lavinia understood that it was wrong to lie to her mother, but Lord Windham had left her with no choice. She could not admit to roaming the halls or entering the Duke of Pemberton’s room. She could not tell the others, or her mother, how the Duke made her feel last night.
“There’s no reason for me to wander at night, Mother,” she said firmly, but her heart was pounding. “And alone?” she added, huffing a low chuckle.
Lord Windham squinted his eyes. Lavinia could sense his confusion, but she did not care an ounce for his discomfort. He had put them both in this awkward situation and should feel slightly bemused by her behavior.
Her mother was not so thrown by her response as Lord Windham. “So, you were not out of bed after most guests retired for the evening?”
“I—”
“You were in the hall, Miss Fitzroy,” Lord Windham cut in. “I saw you—”
“Darling!” the Dowager Duchess interrupted as she welcomed her son into their small group.
Lavinia had not realized the Duke had joined their party until he stood right in front of her. He was close enough to have heard her mother’s question as well as Lord Windham’s accusation.
“Mother,” he said, and the others’ greetings followed. “I did not mean to overhear, but is it proper to force the lady to accept your narration?” he asked, turning towards Lord Windham.
The younger gentleman’s eyes darted quickly from left to right.
“I think you might have misread the situation here, Your Grace. That happens when you eavesdrop, you know.” He straightened his spine and squared his shoulders.
“I forgive you for listening in on our conversation, Your Grace, and for adding your voice to the mix without having all the pertinent details, but I was not forcing anyone to admit to anything here.”
“You might not have been coercing a response out of the lady, but you were obviously causing her some degree of discomfort.” The Duke’s eyes flickered to Lavinia before turning back to Lord Windham. “Perhaps disagreeing with Miss Fitzroy does not put you in a good light,” he said bluntly.
Lavinia watched him stare down Lord Windham.
She could admire him. She could, but she would not.
She knew he was not making a scene for her sake, but for his own pleasure.
She could see from the smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth that he was amused, and even though Lord Windham was the honest one in the bunch, the Duke sought to humiliate him.
“Well, I think it would be nice for everybody to go around the garden and meet everyone else, don’t you?” Lavinia almost jumped when her mother exclaimed her suggestion. She must have also sensed the growing tension between the two gentlemen.
“I quite agree, Lady Crawford.” The Dowager Duchess bobbed her head approvingly. Then she looked at her children. Something passed between the three of them, something Lavinia did not quite understand, but she appreciated it when Madeline spoke next.
“Brother, you were going to show me something, were you not?” Madeline squeezed Lavinia’s arm.
“Oh yes, I was,” the Duke replied, even though he looked very confused.
“Lavinia wants to come with us,” Madeline added smoothly as she steered her brother and Lavinia slightly away from the others.
Lavinia widened her eyes in distress at Madeline. She would have declined, had her mother not presented her with an undesirable alternative.
“But Lavinia was just going to show Emanuel around,” the Baroness said. “I promised him that—”
“My apologies, Mother, but I have already promised Madeline,” Lavinia interjected.
She felt her mother getting upset, but she’d rather have that than be with Lord Windham and his questioning eyes for the rest of the day.
“That is all right, Lady Crawford,” Lord Windham said calmly. “There’s plenty of time for Miss Fitzroy and I to continue our conversation later.”
She watched him bat his eyelashes at her. She felt an unpleasant chill run up her spine, and she quickly averted her eyes.
However, a troublesome gentleman stood behind her, and she was irritated with herself for forgetting.
The Duke chuckled softly, apparently delighted by her mounting dismay, and she sighed. Frustration flared in her chest. She wished to run from the gardens and hide in her bedchambers, where she could write letters and behave as she normally would on such a day.
“Where are we going?” Peter asked as Madeline grabbed both his hand and Miss Fitzroy’s, then proceeded to tow them across the garden.
“There are too many people here,” she huffed as she pulled them to a stop in front of the mouth of the maze. She lifted her head and squinted at the tall, green shrubbery. “When was the last time you got lost in there, Lavinia?”
Miss Fitzroy shrugged. “I don’t know. I tend to stick to the pathways or stay inside, where I can do a bit of writing.”
Peter was intrigued. “You mean you have this maze but never take the time to appreciate it?”
Miss Fitzroy turned to stare at him but said nothing.
What is she thinking?
“Should we race to the other side?” Madeline suggested in a childlike manner. While she was one-and-twenty, the child inside her had thankfully never left.
Peter had never seen his sister as happy as she was when she was with Miss Fitzroy. There was a sparkle in her eyes that was absent when she was not with her friend.
I am just glad I get to see her smile. I am glad she brought me along with them.
And Peter was glad, truly, for standing beside his unusually gleeful sister was a lady who piqued his interest.
He could not help but steal glances at Miss Fitzroy.
She was awfully different from the lady who had found him half-dressed in his room last night.
There was a glow in the air around her that kept him looking at her.
His heart skipped a beat when he heard her laugh.
He was attentive every time she spoke. There was something that drew his attention to her, and when he was gazing upon her, he honestly did not want to look anywhere else.
“Well, I do not think that would be a particularly promising idea, Madeline. Especially since it is your first time,” Miss Fitzroy said, worry lacing her voice.
But Peter knew his sister very well, and she was not the kind to back down when discouraged.
“That is the challenge, Lavinia!” Madeline exclaimed, almost jumping like an elated juvenile.
Peter could already sense Miss Fitzroy’s disinterest, but he could forgive her for being less than enthused by the idea of skipping through the winding maze because she already knew the correct path.
“Don’t you think it’s unfair that you’re competing against Miss Fitzroy? She’s already memorized it anyway,” he commented lightly, not wishing to crush his sister’s spirits.
Madeline’s smile faltered. “Well, that is a shame. I would love to race you, but I know you would just let me win,” she said, disappointed.
“Or I could just lead you through it,” Lavinia suggested.
Madeline’s eyes widened at the suggestion, as if agreeing that it was actually a great idea. “I would love that,” she said.
A heartbeat later, the trio entered the maze.
Peter stared at Miss Fitzroy, who seemed unsettled. He already knew how this was going to end up.