4. Chapter 4
“Good evening, my dear. You look lovely.” Lord Roberts leaned down and gave Lady Roberts a brief kiss on the cheek.
Algenon glanced away from the sight. Having a stepmother only a year his senior, passably pretty with her fair hair and moss green eyes, was one of the oddest experiences of his life.
Even stranger was the obvious regard she had for his father.
How could she care for a man old enough to be her father? But, by all accounts, they were happy.
His father offered an arm to her before signaling to the butler that they were all in attendance.
A few moments later, dinner was announced.
It was only their family this evening, which was still a large gathering even without all the girls in the nursery.
Henrietta’s husband had returned from town at her insistence, so their numbers were nearly even with all three of his brothers-in-law, which only added to the chaos.
Excitement at this evening’s assembly was palpable around the room, each of the ladies having dressed to perfection. He wished he could partake in their joy, but Javenia’s words still haunted him days later.
When he’d been clubbed in the head in June, he’d resolved to change his behavior. It was obvious that even though his flirtations kept his father at bay, they were hurting Javenia. Somehow, that had given him hope.
If she cared enough to be jealous, perhaps there was a way across the divide. Eddie, the only one of his friends that knew of his predicament with his father, had even given him the courage to push back against Lord Roberts’s heavy hand.
Algenon had never been afraid of his father’s threat to pull his quarterly allowance, the marriage contracts with his mother having left him a small cottage near his grandfather’s estate in Essex so he would not be homeless.
He would, however, need to find employment, which would not endear him any more to Javenia’s father.
Even then, she might be willing to look past such things.
But the secret his father held would truly hurt her both in the eyes of her parents and Society. If Lord Roberts revealed what he knew, Javenia would be well within her rights to hate Algenon forever.
“You are remarkably silent this evening, Roberts.”
Algenon glanced up from pushing the peas around his plate. His father’s direct gaze made his already rumbling stomach tighten.
“Are you unwell?” There was no accusation in his father’s tone, real concern crossing his brow.
Was it possible to hate and love someone? Normal moments like these clouded his mind. While his father could be firm and unyielding, there were times he showed true interest in Algenon’s well-being. Those brief glimpses of caring made it hard to hold to his anger.
“No. I was simply listening to the conversation.”
The fork that his father had held suspended in the air lowered. “I am glad to hear it, especially with this evening’s activities.”
The hair on Algenon’s neck prickled. There was too much of a gleam in his father’s eyes to be coincidental. “Indeed. It will be nice to gather with our neighbors again.”
A scraping sound insulted his ears, as his father’s fork slipped on his plate. “Neighbors? Which neighbors?” His knuckles grew white as his grip tightened.
The contrary side of Algenon prodded him to say something that would send his father into a fit, but after several slow breaths, his rational side won out.
“All of them. It has been ages since I have gathered with my friends. Much has changed since then.”
His father’s grip relaxed, and his shoulders lowered. “I thought Sir Nathaniel and his wife came to call this week?”
They had called, giving him the reprieve he’d needed after Javenia’s set down, but it wasn’t their company he sought. “They did, but I have yet to see Kendall or Newhurst.”
His father nodded, then turned his attention back to his meal. It seemed the interrogation was over. Algenon relaxed.
When the meal finished, all the ladies clamored to their rooms to gather the last of their effects.
The men would have a few minutes to enjoy their port before the carriages were called.
Algenon leaned back and allowed his brothers-in-law to carry the conversation.
Their entrance into his family had been the greatest relief over the last two years.
At least now he and his father did not have to carry on some semblance of a congenial conversation or sit in uncomfortable silence.
When they joined the ladies in the vestibule, Algenon helped Phillipa and Charlotte with their cloaks. They would be his responsibility tonight, since his father would probably hide away in the card rooms the moment they arrived.
Three carriages had been brought round to carry them to the large stone and brick assembly hall in Maidstone.
His oldest sister and her husband would accompany his father and stepmother in the barouche, with the other two sisters and their spouses in the middle carriage.
He and the younger girls entered the last. It felt like a symbol of his status. Unmarried, he was useless to his sire.
He pushed away the disparaging thought, not wanting his father’s influence to dampen his enjoyment. Javenia had accused him of being an uncontrollable flirt. A slow smile spread across his face. Tonight, he would prove her wrong.
Large lanterns lit the two-story building as carriages lined the cobblestone drive. Algenon handed each of his sisters out when it was their turn, then escorted them into the hall, their progress slowed by all the neighbors they stopped to greet.
Inside, a chalk outline had been laid on the floor. It would be gone by the end of the night but would be used as a guide for the newest country dances. Phillipa all but squealed when she spotted Miss Janessa Harris. Apparently Lord and Lady Upton had decided to let her finally come out.
Her appearance instantly made him search the room for the one person he wished to see. When his gaze finally landed on Javenia, a burden he didn’t know he was carrying lifted from his shoulders. Life had always been lighter and brighter when she was around.
With her back to him, he took the liberty of drinking her in.
Her toffee-colored curls piled high on her head with a few shorter ones clinging to her delicate neck drew his attention first before he took in the shimmery green gown settling nicely over her slender figure.
When she finally turned, his breath caught.
He loved the intensity of her deep brown eyes.
They sparkled with intelligence and determination.
She smiled at something the gentleman to her left said and instantly his attention snapped to her lips.
They were pinker than normal tonight, as were her cheeks, probably owing to the roaring fire in the large hearth that heated the room.
A long-buried memory wormed its way to the surface of his mind.
He’d tasted those lips once, right before his sixteenth birthday. No one other than the two of them knew. It had been an experiment, a childish impulse, really. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone, and they’d never been good at resisting curiosity.
Her gaze settled on him, and he reined in his thoughts. That kiss had tilted his young world on its end, just like the tiny smile she cast his way was doing now. How could one look make him float higher than the chandelier?
“Algenon?”
Someone waved a hand in front of his face. He blinked several times before looking down.
Charlotte grinned at him. “Glad to see you have not fallen into a trance. I thought we might have to fetch the physician.”
“Or the vicar,” Phillipa added with a smirk.
“Because you thought I was about to expire?” he asked.
Phillipa pulled her arm from his. “No. Because if your look had grown anymore heated, the only cure for it would be to marry you off right away.”
His mouth fell open a fraction. Charlotte pushed it closed with a finger, then followed Phillipa as she strutted away. He was in trouble if his sisters had read his expression so easily. He glanced around, hoping his father had not witnessed it.
Thankfully, his father and stepmother were speaking to someone near the door, their attention fully vested in the conversation.
A hand settled on his shoulder.
“Nate told me our prodigal friend had returned.” Eddie smiled at him. His expertly styled dark hair accentuated his angular jaw and piercing blue eyes.
Algenon clasped his hand in greeting. “Yes, but unlike the prodigal son of old, I did not come back to my father because I gambled away all my goods.” He tipped his head toward the door his father was exiting through, the one that led to the card room.
“He does enough of the wagering for the both of us.”
Eddie’s face darkened. “Do Nate and I need to intervene to save your inheritance?”
Algenon chuckled. “It is not as bad as all that. He comes with a set amount. You know my father, all straight lines and no deviations.”
“Yes, unless it comes to sons,” Eddie grumbled.
He wasn’t wrong. The reminder made Algenon glance back at where his father had disappeared. Hopefully this was not one of the places Lord Roberts gave into extremes.
Then Eddie’s expression lightened. “I see my wife has found her favorite companions.”
Algenon followed his gaze to the tiny, flaxen-haired woman who’d captured Eddie’s heart.
Lady Braithwaite, nay, Mrs. Kendall now, appeared as flawless as ever.
She reminded him of a small china doll, but he knew her to be as fierce as the tigers in the Tower of London.
She was not a woman with which to trifle.
Next to her was Melior—Nate’s wife and Eddie’s sister.
Mrs. Kendall and Melior were a study in opposites.
Where one was short, the other was tall.
Mrs. Kendall’s eyes were a fascinating color of green, while Melior’s were cobalt blue, the same as her brother’s.
Melior’s skin was as clear as Javenia’s, but Mrs. Kendall had a soft dusting of freckles on her nose. Even their personalities contrasted.
Mrs. Kendall pandered to no one. Her conversation was polite, but she didn’t cater to ridiculousness. In contrast, Melior was the picture of perfection, nodding and commenting at all the right places even if the speaker’s chosen subject was as dry as the sands of the Sahara Desert.
The flash of Javenia’s green dress drew his attention as she looped her arm through Melior’s.
His pulse picked up. Javenia was the balance between the other two ladies in almost every way.
She was neither tall nor short, her hair color a mix of theirs, and her personality was just the right combination of proper and rebellious… however chaotically applied.
After a moment, another woman joined them.
This one was younger, and far more bubbly.
Algenon chuckled as his gaze trailed to her left where his friend, John, stood.
Susannah’s joyful countenance offset John’s face of stone.
It was the same discomfited expression he’d worn for years whenever he was in the company of so many ladies.
“Looks like John has been convinced to socialize this evening.” Eddie chuckled. “What say you to running a different rescue mission?”
“One in which we keep our dear friend from word vomiting all over unsuspecting matrons?” Algenon straightened his waistcoat, a smile tugging at his lips. “Lead the way, my good man, and best be quick about it. I see the Platt sisters making their way in his direction.”
Eddie gave a jaunty salute. “Let it not be said that we left a man to the machinations of spinsters.”
Algenon nearly snorted as he covered his amusement. The elderly Platt sisters were as harmless as newborn kittens, but crowds made John nervous, which made it harder to control his stutter. So, to the rescue they would go.
Was it the real incentive for him to cross the room? Perhaps not. But Eddie had given Algenon the perfect excuse to be closer to Javenia. What was more noble than saving a friend?
Besides, his father had already left the room for the evening. Once at the card tables, he rarely left.
With each step closer, a boyish giddiness filled him.
Social functions brought out Javenia’s wit in full force and he could not wait to cross words with her.
It was one of his favorite pastimes, especially since she knew how to mix just the right amount of ridiculousness into her set downs as to make them entertain rather than insult.
When they stopped in front of the ladies, he smiled, excited to be back in a situation where he knew what to expect. He gave an abbreviated bow to all of them, but before he could give any more than a perfunctory greeting, Javenia spoke.
“You are looking very well turned out this evening, Mr. Roberts. I’ve always liked your poppy red waistcoat. It pairs well with your gold accoutrements. And is that a ruby stick pin I spy in your pristinely tied neckcloth?”
Algenon stared at her. Something was wrong.
Javenia never complimented him. He searched her face but saw no signs of ulterior motive.
She flipped open her fan and moved it slowly, lightly wafting the few curls that draped over her shoulder.
He fought his body’s natural reaction to draw closer, but that did not stop his blood from warming.
Something was afoot. He was certain of it, but he was out of his element. She blinked slowly at him, her gaze direct. His mouth went dry and his palms began to sweat. Where had all his pretty words gone?