Chapter Two
The woman on John’s arm pulled herself closer, he supposed, to take his attention from the beauty coming down the grand staircase as regal as any queen.
My God… she was even more beautiful than he remembered from their past association.
Her flaming red hair was held up in a pleasing coiffeur with a few loose curling strands framing her face.
Her light green gown would no doubt bring out the highlights of her hazel eyes if he but cared to stare close enough into those familiar orbs.
But that would be dangerous on his part.
He had a plan, much like he assumed his sister did. Clara had been trying to put him and Annette in the same room over the past year until even John almost faltered. Yet he still stubbornly held onto his decision to never be forced into a marriage just to appease his dead parents.
Stonehaven and his duchess had tried to dissuade John from bringing Lady Torshell to his sister’s party.
However, she was the only woman with whom he thought he could remain indifferent and brush aside once the month was at an end.
He hadn’t counted on her being so… well…
clingy the moment they walked in the door and saw Lady Saxton.
He hated to admit the truth of the matter, but Stonehaven might have been right all along. This had been a bad idea.
He never thought it would be this difficult to concede that he had, indeed, missed the lady and their monthly meetings. Of course, the mourning period had been a requirement to which he’d had to adhere, but afterward?
He had been so determined in the past two years to stay away from the woman in order for her to move on with her life and find another husband.
The few balls he had attended only made him uncomfortable seeing her dancing with other gentlemen.
Since he’d been the one who broke off their arrangement, he’d didn’t understand why jealousy had reared its ugly head.
It shouldn’t have mattered to him in the least but still…
it bothered him more than he had wanted to acknowledge, even to himself.
The more he had seen her throughout the Season, the more he had longed to disappear back into the country so he wouldn’t have to see Annette from across a crowded ballroom.
But he had obligations in London that always demanded his attention, including his attempts to find Clara a husband.
That she would purposely plan an entire house party at Hardinge Manor seemed a reasonable request that he more than readily agreed upon.
Unfortunately, this would also put him in direct contact with Annette since she and his sister were the best of friends.
And now, here his former betrothed was, coming to stand before him.
“Welcome home, Your Grace,” she murmured politely, dropping down into a curtsey as his titled demanded.
When she rose, those hazel eyes were something to behold, and he gulped in an attempt to suppress how enthralled he was to be back in her presence.
“Lady Saxton,” he replied as the woman at his side edged even closer so much so that he began to wonder if she would crawl inside his jacket. He gently disengaged himself from the lady and gave his former betrothed standing before him a bow. “Welcome to Hardinge Manor.”
The smile Annette bestowed upon him could have lit up an entire room. “As you know, this has always been a second home to me, Your Grace,” she said softly, “but thank you for your kind welcome all the same.”
She lifted her hand to him and as he took her fingertips in the palm of his hand, a string of emotions filled him.
He bowed over her hand and kissed the air between her skin and his mouth.
As he let go and once more stood straight, he saw her serene smile lift at the corners of her mouth.
He would be hard pressed to stay immune to her presence in his house for the next month.
The silence between them was broken by Lady Torshell, left out of this brief interlude with Annette. The lady came and wrapped her fingers around his arm and once again pressed herself against his side. “Your Grace… you promised me to show me the gardens,” she announced for all to hear.
He tore his gaze from the hazel eyes he could get lost in if only he hadn’t made a promise to himself two years ago and blinked.
Then he turned and said to Lady Torshell, “There’s time enough for a tour of the estate after you are settled in your room, my lady.
” He then began making introductions until he saw the meaningful glare Clara tossed in his direction. She was upset with him.
She came and practically tore the woman from his side. “The manor is full to the brim, Lady Torshell, but I’m certain we can still find an empty bedroom for your stay with us.”
“You are too kind, Lady Fawsley,” the woman murmured as she looked over her shoulder at him as his sister began to lead her away, leaving him alone with Annette.
“Annie, would you be so kind to show the duke and duchess to their room for me?” Clara called from the stairway. “They’ll be in the blue room.”
The Duchess of Stonehaven gave a bright laugh. “We know the way, Lady Saxton. Come along, Laurance.”
A hand was clapped on his shoulder and John turned what he was sure were pleading eyes to his friend who only gave him a hard pat. “See you in a bit, Sommer. We’ll go for that ride if you’re still inclined.”
John gave a brief nod, knowing that no help would come from that pair and as he watched Laurance and Elizabeth make their way up the stairs, he could only wonder what the next month might bring. His heart hammered inside his chest knowing he was now left alone with Annette.
“You must be tired from your trip,” she murmured so softly he almost missed her words.
He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Not really,” he confessed honestly. “Have you been here long?”
“A little over a week, not that Clara needed my help with anything. The manor practically runs itself, much like a well-oiled wheel, and needs very little overseeing.” She stood staring at him with a smile that could be forced given the other woman who had recently been at his side.
But there was no underlying guile in Annette’s demeanor and because she was so familiar to him, she was like a breath of fresh air.
He once again doubted his promise to himself from two years ago.
“I’m certain Clara would want to ensure that everything was in place and perfect so a potential husband could see for himself how she can manage a household,” he finally replied.
Annette gave a brief nod. “Yes, I suppose you’re right on that account.”
He was at a loss for words as they continued to stand in the foyer. His butler came into his view, but John gave the slightest motion of his head, and the man disappeared back down the hall. “The weather should hold for another week or two, I’m told.”
A disgruntled sound rumbled from her. “Have we been reduced to our conversations being about the weather, John?” she asked resuming their familiar behavior from days past. She glanced up the stairway. “I would think the more important question I should ask is—what is Lady Torshell to you?”
He lifted his brow. My… she still was a bold one.
“She is my guest for the month. Anything else regarding my relationship with Lady Torshell doesn’t concern you.
” His tone was harsher than he’d intended and he quickly saw her face transform.
One moment she appeared happy to see him and now…
not so much, and that, again, was his fault.
“I see,” she finally managed to say before her expression changed once more, something that was most perplexing.
She moved directly up to him and kissed his cheek like a long-lost brother’s.
“It’s good to see you again, Johnny, and to have you home.
I will take my leave so that you can get yourself settled in your rooms. I’m sure you’ll have your hands full with a household of guests, including Lady Torshell, occupying all your valuable time. ”
She bobbed a hasty curtsey and left him standing alone in the foyer with her nickname lingering in the room like a distant memory that was hard to forget.
She hadn’t called him Johnny since they were children, and her mother reprimanded her as a teenager for addressing him so.
Indeed, no one had addressed him as Johnny since then.
As he began to make his way upstairs, he again questioned if bringing Lady Torshell to this party had been a good idea. He rubbed his cheek where Annette’s lips had lingered. He could still feel their soft warmth, leaving his skin tingling.
He had the feeling he would be calling himself an idiot before too long.