Chapter Fourteen
The morning of the picnic with Lord Dunstan arrived to much excitement, and Lucinda was not ashamed to admit she was looking forward to it. They were to meet Lord Dunstan at a picturesque section near the Serpentine in Hyde Park.
When they arrived at the spot, the girls giggled in delight. Dunstan’s servants had set up a marquee with tables, chairs, and easels for painting. They had placed picnic blankets on the ground, and they were laying out baskets and baskets of food.
“Oh, good. There is wine.”
“Tony!” Marianne admonished.
“What? I must have something to do while you and Lucinda dabble in… art.”
“Perhaps you should have a go yourself, Lord Ashton. You may uncover a new appreciation for it.”
“As stimulating as that sounds, Miss Sterling I shall be happy to lounge on a blanket and partake of Dunstan’s hospitality. I may even take a nap.”
“Seriously, brother. Please behave today. It is important not to put Dunstan off because of your cavalier attitude. Unless you can explain why you dislike him.”
“You have me all wrong, sister dear; I do not dislike him. If I engage him in conversation I am simply testing him. Seeing what the man is made of. It is my job to do so. No one wants a doormat for a husband.”
“That is cruel, even for you.”
Lucinda decided it was time to put a stop to this argument before Marianne punched her brother in the face.
Honestly, she was a little surprised by her friend’s fierce defense of their host. “Lord Ashton, I will have no battle of wills between you and Lord Dunstan today. We are his guests, and as such we should act like guests. Keep your testing for another time.”
Tony laughed as he alighted from the carriage and handed down his sister and Lucinda. “As you wish.”
They walked down to the marquee, where Lord Dunstan greeted them.
“Ladies, thank you for joining me today. I am looking forward to seeing your works. Lord Ashton.” He shook Tony’s hand. “I hope you will not be too bored. I do have plenty of supplies if you care to dabble.”
“Thank you for the invitation but I shall find a way to amuse myself.”
“Excellent. Please help yourself to anything in the baskets. I had Cook put in a selection of treats for us.”
Tony grinned. “Sounds splendid.”
Lucinda watched as Tony grabbed an apple from one of the baskets and made himself comfortable on one of the blankets.
Who was this man? The man who only the other night held her so softly.
Who let her cry her eyes out. Tears that felt like they had been waiting for years to be released.
Now he was smiling at her as if he knew the punch line to a joke she was not yet aware of. She decided to ignore him.
“Ladies, please, this way.” Lord Dunstan extended his arm to the chairs he had set up facing the Serpentine.
It was a lovely day. Puffy clouds skittered across the sky on the breeze, changing and evolving before one’s eyes.
A rush of excitement took over her body as Lucinda searched the vista before her to see which scene she would attempt to sketch.
Taking up a piece of charcoal, she marked out the skyline, the trees, the river, and the bank.
Lucinda glanced over to where Marianne was already applying some watercolors to her canvas.
Dunstan was standing behind her, pointing out various aspects of the scene before them.
Marianne nodded and smiled at him. She was glad her friend had decided that Dunstan was not the man she thought he had been, for if Lucinda was to marry Lord Dunstan, it would be nice for them both to be friends.
She turned her gaze away from them and saw that Tony had wandered down to the water’s edge.
His stance was contemplative, a relaxed leg and hand on his hip as he watched the flow of the Serpentine.
He made a dashing silhouette and a subject for her picture.
She grabbed a pencil and sketched him into her picture.
Taking pains to capture all she could in case he moved away.
She marked out his broad shoulders to his booted feet.
Even from the back, he was a well-built man, his hat at a jaunty angle.
She giggled as she drew in his hat, taking pains to get it just right.
Dunstan came to stand behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I think you have made him too tall, but I think Lord Ashton would be pleased with your rendering.”
She could feel the warmth of his hand as it lay upon her shoulder. The temptation to reach up and cover his hand with hers arose in Lucinda. Instead, she said, “Should I shorten his legs?”
“Perhaps you could redo his boots and bring up the foreground a little.”
“Yes, I could do that.”
“Can I interest you in a drink? I have lemonade.”
“Oh, yes, please. I really must thank you, Lord Dunstan. You have thought of everything.”
“Well, I cannot command the weather, but it is a splendid day and that certainly helps. The rest I am afraid I had little to do with. My housekeeper is wonderful at this sort of thing.”
“Do you have picnics in the park often then?”
He laughed a deep, satisfying laugh. “No. I admit, this is my very first attempt at hosting a picnic, but I do hope it will not be my last with you.”
“I would be disappointed if it were.”
“Good.” He held out his hand to her, and she took it, marveling at the fact that neither of them wore gloves. He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, and they walked back to the marquee. He pulled out a chair, and a servant rushed over with a pitcher and poured her a glass.
“Excuse me, I must fetch Lady Marianne.”
“Of course.” The footman came over with a plate of small tarts. His housekeeper really was fantastic. She took one and turned to watch as Lord Dunstan and Marianne walked up to the marquee. Tony was nowhere to be seen and was no longer near the river’s edge.
“They make a handsome couple.”
Tony’s whisper hit her ear just as Lucinda swallowed her first bite of the tart. She took a gulp of her lemonade and turned sharply over her shoulder.
“What are you implying?”
“Nothing, nothing at all.”
“He is simply doing his bit as a gentleman. What has got into you today? It is like you are looking for an argument all morning.”
He sat down next to her and took the rest of her tart, popping it into his mouth.
“I see. Do you think that making yourself abhorrent to me will somehow cancel out our kisses?” It was his turn to choke on the tart. Good, she thought. He was behaving like an arse and needed to be right royally kicked in it. “It won’t you know.”
Finally, he spoke. “Are you going to marry him?”
“What concern is it of yours if I do?”
“I am your guardian.”
“Yes, you are, but you are acting the jealous fool. I don’t like it. You have made your point on marriage very clear, but you promised to be by my side in all this. If this is the way you are going to act, I would rather the duke accompany me from now on.”
“My brother is too busy to be pandering to you, Miss Sterling.”
“Perhaps I should appeal to Lord Stafford instead?”
He stood, noting the others approaching. She knew he could not leave them and wondered just how far he would go to ruin this day for her and for Marianne.
What was wrong with him? Lucinda was right—he was acting like a jealous fool.
The fact that he desired her and wanted to be wherever she was all the time made him also want to be as far away from her as possible, but it wasn’t possible.
He didn’t know how to negotiate these feelings.
It would be easier if he stayed away, but she was right.
It was his job to be her chaperone. He thought if he played the obstinate arse she would want to distance herself from him, not come to his study, not seek him out.
Now he felt wretched, and he had upset her. She was smarter than he, obviously. She saw right through him. And now he would have to apologize, again. Damn you, Markham! He took up his place on the blanket and pretended to be studying the view before him.
Behind him, the merry trio chatted amiably. The girls asked Dunstan questions about his childhood, and he did not seem sheepish about telling them the details.
“I am the eldest of three, but both my siblings, James and Sybil, died of consumption within days of each other. I was at school at the time, but I was brought home. Mother was inconsolable, which was understandable, but then she turned all her affections on me. I can’t say I did not want the attention at first but then it became stifling.
“My father started to drink, and I rarely saw him, thank goodness, until one day a servant found him dead in his study. An attack of the heart the doctor said.”
Marianne and Lucinda listened intently. Tony could see that Lucinda was looking in her lap, playing with her ring on her finger. She did that when things became uncomfortable. Tony almost felt sorry for the man.
“That must have been so hard on you. Is your mother still in London?” Marianne asked.
“No. She went to live with my uncle. He wanted me to live there too, as I was now the sole heir to his title. I had just started at the academy and so I declined. He was not happy about it, and as you know, he cut me off. Once he realized that I would not bow to pressure from him, he relented slightly. I did go to visit my mother and uncle as much as I was able. I am not sure he ever forgave me, but he had my mother for company until the end.”
Lucinda looked up. “So, your mother is still at the country estate, or did she return to London with you?”
“No, she had made friends there and enjoyed running the house. Who was I to take her away from what made her happy?”
“And now you are the earl.”
“And now I am the earl. Miss Sterling, I believe you have lost both parents. My condolences to you.”
Lucinda’s eyes widened.
“I hope it was not a secret.” Dunstan looked to Tony then seeking… what? Confirmation that it was true.
“No, it is no secret. I suppose the ton is buzzing with their theories.”