Chapter 7 #3
Rather than reply to Darius’s unfinished question, Warren spotted a tray of teacakes that the cook had prepared and marched over to the refreshment table as Meredith returned.
It left Darius standing there, muttering to himself, wondering why he couldn’t understand what was happening in his own bloody house.
Warren wasn’t going to court Meredith. Warren was the sort of man who had a lady in every village or city in England who was ready to take him to bed without any expectations whatsoever.
He was not a man to fall in love, not in the way that would see him leg-shackled.
Yet here he was, bringing flowers to Meredith like a lovestruck lad.
“Thank you so much for the flowers, Warren. They are lovely.” Meredith poured him a cup of tea.
“Warren, is it?” Darius muttered in a mocking tone as Warren sat on the settee with Meredith. Darius was not going to let Warren sit that close to his ward. Darius came and wedged himself between the two. Warren let out an oof as Darius squished Warren and Meredith against the sides of the settee.
Warren shot a dark look at Darius. “Well… This is unexpectedly cozy.”
“Darius, perhaps you could see how Mr. Chelsea is coming along with that vase?” Meredith asked in an equally strained voice.
“No,” he said. “As your guardian, I must remain in his room with you while—”
“Fine. I will do it.” Meredith tried to extricate herself from the settee. “Darius, you’re sitting on my gown—oh!” She fell onto Darius’s lap, then twisted when he half tried to stand, causing her to be tossed straight into Warren’s waiting arms.
“Well, who knew I’d be lucky enough to have the lady throw herself at me?
Perhaps I should take up courting? I seem to be bloody brilliant at it,” Warren chuckled as he helped Meredith stand up.
She gave Darius a furious glare, her face as pink as the roses Warren had brought and huffed so hard that a loose tendril of her hair flew skyward before falling back against her cheek.
She nearly ran from the room without a backward glance.
“Just what do you think you are doing?” Darius demanded as Warren took another bite of his teacake seemingly unruffled. The bastard actually grinned at him.
“I am making my courtship look convincing. What else?” Warren said.
“That is entirely unnecessary,” Darius informed them.
“Isn’t it though?”
“There are no suitors here yet for you to impress,” Darius pointed out, holding his arms out to encompass the now empty room.
“Well, I am new to this. Practice was required.” Warren retrieved his plate and finished off his teacake before eyeing the refreshment table again. “I thought you wanted to marry the girl off? And since you won’t marry her yourself, I thought you’d need help in the matter.”
Darius got up from the settee, scowling.
The idea of anyone marrying Meredith put him in the foulest of moods.
He couldn’t marry Meredith, but he did wish she could stay with him, and continue as they were now.
Shared kisses in the dark, quiet drinks by the fire, morning breakfasts on the back terrace.
Deep down he knew that continuing as they’d done so far wouldn’t be enough.
He wanted more when it came to her, and that was exactly the problem because he couldn’t have more.
He wished like hell that she didn’t need to get married. But her words from this morning still echoed in his mind. It was unlikely any future Duchess of Tiverton would understand his financial support of a young, beautiful woman who wasn’t blood related.
The memory of last night’s kisses was still present in his mind.
He shouldn’t have kissed her, but she had needed comfort and sometimes comfort came in the form of kisses.
He hadn’t taken advantage of her, hadn’t done anything to ruin her, at least in his opinion.
It was only a few kisses; she had said so herself last night.
And those kisses had been like something out of his dreams. Her lips had been soft, supple, her weight upon his lap perfect.
He’d wanted to hold her forever and explore the mysteries of her sweet mouth.
“Even you cannot have it both ways,” Warren said, pulling Darius away from his thoughts. “She must marry, as must you at some point. You can’t let that bounder Harry inherit your title or your fortune. Can you imagine him moving into Knightley Street? The rest of us would kill him.”
Warren was right. He couldn’t let Harry inherit everything, but the idea of marrying just anyone always seemed wrong. His parents had been a love match, and he had wanted that kind of love for himself, even if it meant searching the world for it.
When Meredith returned with the vase of flowers, Darius rose from the settee to take it from her. Their fingers brushed on the porcelain basin, and her soft hazel eyes met his.
“Please be kind to Warren. He has been very sweet to me,” she whispered. “Besides, what if no one comes today? I would be terribly embarrassed. But with Warren here, I won’t be…”
He knew what she hadn’t said. She wouldn’t be so ashamed.
Darius held her gaze, gentling his voice. “If no one comes today, it will be because they fear me.”
“And rightly so!” Warren added, then looked away before Darius could glare at him.
Mr. Chelsea entered the room and cleared his throat. “Miss Montague, you have three visitors. Mr. Evers, Mr. Toleman and Mr. Brandywine.”
“Ah, our first victims,” said Warren.
“Hush,” snapped Darius.
A light of excitement mingled with relief filled Meredith’s eyes. He was happy to see that crushed look gone from her, but the moment she looked away, he was scowling again. More men in his drawing room to see her…to talk to her, to make her laugh, to court her…in all the ways he couldn’t.
Bloody hell…
Meredith turned away from Darius, as regal as a princess. “Please show them in.”
He was left holding the vase as she went to greet the three men. They were close to Darius’s age, and he recalled them having danced with Meredith last night. Something Darius hadn’t been able to do because he’d given his one and only dance away to the prince.
He hastily set the vase on the table only to have Meredith hand him another batch of flowers from Mr. Evers.
When Darius started to turn away, Meredith called him back, and proceeded to hand him two more bouquets from Mr. Brandywine and Mr. Toleman.
These were thick with towering blooms that nearly blinded him as he tried to see over the tops of the flowers.
He was supposed to be putting these gentleman callers through their paces and questioning them about their intentions.
Instead, he was juggling what seemed to be every flower from the hothouses of London.
“Chelsea?” he called out. “Help!” His muffled cry barely escaped the towering roses.
Thankfully, his butler heard him and hastily arrived to collect the bouquets from him.
“Thank you.” He tugged on the bottom of his waistcoat and finally went to join the three other men.
Warren resumed his strategic location on the settee, eating a cucumber sandwich and grinning at Darius. He raised his cup of tea in a little salute. Darius tried to erase his frown as he faced Meredith’s callers.
“Gentlemen,” Darius greeted them, shaking their hands.
He did his best not to interfere with Meredith as she poured everyone tea and saw to the refreshments.
Warren had eaten his third helping of teacakes and had turned his attention to the cucumber sandwiches, clearly unbothered by the new arrivals.
It was hard for Darius to force himself to smile and be congenial whenever he glimpsed Meredith smiling or laughing at something one of gentlemen said.
It wasn’t because he didn’t want her to smile or laugh.
On the contrary, her laughter always took his breath away, but he wanted to be the one causing her such moments of joy.
Right now he felt like some fool that was merely hovering on the edges of her beautiful world, unable to touch her, to bask in her light.
Meredith’s green and white gown trimmed with small gold tassels was bewitching in the way it displayed her exquisite curves.
Every man in the room was focused raptly on the young lady.
Determined to distract himself, Darius caught Warren’s eye and indicated his friend should come over to him with a subtle jerk of his head.
Once he and Warren were a ways off, Warren cast a glance back at the small crowd.
“You know, I believe Evers might be a fine chap.”
“What?” Darius asked.
“Jordan Evers. Always liked the fellow,” Warren explained. “Good taste in horses, reads a fair amount, and he possesses a decent townhouse and fortune. He’s always been a solid man when it comes to the ladies. Meredith would do well with him.”
“Oh, right,” Darius shot Meredith’s suitor a look before giving himself a shake to focus. “No, it’s not that. I have something I could use your help with.”
“Not suitor related?” Warren grinned.
“No. Something more worrisome.”
“Something more worrisome than three chaps fawning over our Miss Montague right under your nose?” Warren teased.
Darius was at a loss as to how to respond because he certainly didn’t want anyone man fawning over Meredith. But what he wanted to talk about would help Meredith, because he couldn’t get that worried look in her eyes out of his mind.
“Please, Warren, it’s a serious matter. One that has greatly distressed Meredith and I believe you can help put her mind at ease.”
Warren sobered at Darius’s tone. “What do you need help with?”
“Mr. Crell, my neighbor directly behind this house is bound for the country today. Could you follow him and see if his wife, Mrs. Crell, travels with him or whether he meets her at his country house?”
“I certainly can, but why?”
Darius bit his lip, his voice softening further.
“Last night, before leaving for the ball, Meredith heard a scream while she waited for me in my coach. She believes she saw someone in the mews next to my stables struggling with another person. I was fetching my cane and didn’t hear it.
Then Meredith noticed that the master bedchamber had been completely emptied at the Crell house, even the linens had been stripped and the wardrobes emptied of every bit of clothing.
Chelsea spoke with the Crells’ butler and was told that Mrs. Crell and Mr. Crell are moving to the country and that she is feeling better, but the woman is a known invalid, and has been for years.
Meredith fears that Crell has done something to his wife.
I told her of course that it could be as simple as the husband and wife sleeping in different rooms, and they’ve already packed up Mrs. Crell for the move, but still…
something about this entire situation leaves me unsettled. ”
“I’ll be happy to investigate, old boy,” Warren said without hesitation.
“You had better go now and see what you find out. Trail him as far as you are able without being noticed.”
“Wait, you aren’t only saying this to get rid of me, are you?”
“I assure you, that is simply a happy coincidence,” said Darius with a straight face.
Warren nodded and excused himself from the room, but not before bowing over Meredith and making a show to the other three men around her as he kissed her hand, making her blush.
The girl blushed too often for Darius’s liking. She was so damned innocent. And Warren was right. His attentiveness to Meredith had only made the three suitors even more enamored with Meredith. It was going to be a bloody long afternoon.