Chapter Seventeen #2
Ah…I wonder what we have here? Winnie thought.
Basil was one of the wittiest and most charming men she’d ever met, and handsome to boot, with the most winsome light-brown curls and hazel eyes.
He was slightly smaller in stature than Lex, but agile and every bit as fit.
Winnie could see there was something in the way he looked at Tess that made her wonder if a romance would blossom between the two.
“Settle down, Tess. We’ll see.” Lex raised his brow in a disapproving arch, addressing Basil. “Now you’ve put me in a bit of a jam, old man. How do I say no? It will make me an overbearing ogre from a fairytale.”
Basil laughed. “I shan’t wish for that moniker. Better to allow Lady Tess a day at the races under the supervision of no one other than your trusted friend. You certainly are welcome to join us. It will be my pleasure to host.”
“I may take you up on that.” Lex’s gaze returned to Winnie, and he regarded her with that intimate warmth again.
“Am I to be the odd woman out?” she asked.
Lex beamed. “Your attendance, my dear, would be the icing on the cake.”
“Oh, yes,” rhapsodized Tess, “then Lex will surely not say no.”
“Grandmama, I’m sure Charles wouldn’t mind chaperoning me to the Royal Ascot,” Winnie said.
“If he agrees, I am not opposed,” Felicia replied.
The dowager marchioness interrupted, “Dinner will be served at seven. I suggest we retire to our rooms to rest up and give everyone the chance to prepare. The Farnsworths should be here in time to join us.”
An hour later, Winnie was facing a conundrum.
It was not enough to look and speak with Lex in a room full of people.
She wanted to share some time alone with him, but how might she manage it?
Felicia and her adjoining rooms, though lovely, afforded her little privacy.
Alice had unpacked everything, helped her dress, and pinned her hair in an elegant Grecque coiffure, and now Winnie had nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs and sit about in her room until dinner.
But she was not without resources or ingenuity.
I could sneak out and take a walk. No one would be the wiser. And if I should happen, perchance, to run into Lex, there is nothing ill-intentioned about that.
With her hand on the doorknob and quiet as a mouse, she’d nearly slipped from her room when her grandmother’s voice ended her escape.
“Edwina, darling, come sit with me for a few minutes.”
Winnie sighed with frustration, but dutifully heeded Felicia’s request. “Yes, Grandmama.”
“Oh, my dear, you look lovely. Madame Gris outdid herself.” Her grandmother’s eagle eyes surveyed her from head to toe.
Winnie smoothed her white-gloved hands down the empire gown of aqua-green silk.
Beneath the bodice was a gold-brocaded band of colorful butterflies replicated on a broader band sewn around the hemline.
“Thank you, Grandmama. She is a wonder, isn’t she?
Her artistry is incomparable, and she has a wonderful sense of what suits the client best.”
“Yes, Madame Gris is very talented. Edwina, I could not help but notice that the earl is quite taken with you. Do you feel well disposed to his courtship?”
Winnie felt the color rise to her cheeks from her pulse’s quickening. It would do no good to protest when her body betrayed her. “I have already shared my misgivings with you.”
“None of which should stand in the way.”
“As I told you, I fear his interest in me may have more to do with my inheritance than with me. I worry that I may never know the truth and trusting him puts my heart at risk.”
“Nonsense. I recall your father having similar worries when he courted your mother. She had been engaged to another man, and he broke her heart. Your father drove himself crazy agonizing over whether she could love him as much as the man she’d been engaged to.
Of course, it was all nonsense, as your mother adored your father with all her heart.
You must believe that you are special and worthy of the earl’s love.
We will leave our conversation at that and see how this weekend progresses.
I will tell you that I am not opposed to this union. ”
“You like him?”
“I do. More importantly, I think you do, too.”
“Have I told you how much I adore her?” said Lex to Basil as he sank a ball in the pocket of the billiards table.
“Good Lord, at least a hundred times. From what I can see, I think the feeling is reciprocated. Although you should get to the bottom of what caused her to leave the Lyon’s Den so precipitously.”
“Yes, you’re probably right. However, do I really want to remind her of that?”
“You’re considering marrying her. It’s best to put any negativity behind you. It will prove to her that you are considerate of her feelings and want nothing to stand in the way of your courtship.”
Lex considered Basil’s suggestion as he eyed his next shot. “You, as always, give sound advice, my friend.”
“Of course I do,” Basil quipped. A few moments after he sank his next ball, he cleared his throat. “Lex, there is something I need to ask you.”
Lex, who was leaning over the table, cue in hand, looked up and saw Basil’s discomfort. “Ask me anything, my friend.”
“I need to preface this with my sincere hope that you will not consider this presumptuous of me or consider it an infringement on our friendship.”
“My dear Basil, nothing you could possibly do would I ever presume overreaching.”
“It’s about Tess.”
Lex’s brows rose with his confusion. “Tess? Has she offended you in any way? If so, you must forgive her. Her youth, at times, factors into what she says or does. I assure you she means no harm.”
“Oh, no, no. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Tess. In fact, I am seeking your approval to, ah”—Basil cleared his throat again—“to court her.”
“Court her?” Lex could not hide his shock.
“Please let me explain. I know I am unworthy of her, and I am sure I have taken you completely by surprise with this request. You told me that when you first saw Edwina, the world shifted beneath your feet. For me, it has developed gradually and unexpectedly. I haven’t seen her in years, and when I last did, she was very young.
I only thought of her as my friend’s younger sister.
But she has blossomed into a beautiful woman, and when she arrived here, I felt that shift inside of me as you did with Edwina.
She steals my breath away with her beauty, her winsome charm, and her exuberant joy for life.
To be honest, I’ve never met a girl like her.
Now, you know me. I do not beat about the bush when I am clear in my mind about something.
And I am very clear about my feelings for your sister.
I am more than willing to wait as long as it takes to win her. ”
Lex laid his cue down on the table. “I confess that I am surprised and didn’t see this coming.
I’ve been so wrapped up in my own problems and my feelings for Edwina that I was completely oblivious to your own quest for a bride.
” He held out his hand. “I could not in a million years find a man worthier of Tess, or a man I trust more with her future and happiness. You are like a brother to me, and to call you brother in the real sense would be my honor.”
“Thank you, Lex.” Basil shook his hand firmly. “I will not disappoint you.”
Lex chuckled. “You might want to inform the lady of your intentions. I believe she may have her own feelings as to the matter.”
Basil’s excitement and happiness lit up the room. “Fear not—I have every intention to make my feelings clear to her before this weekend ends. I am filled with relief knowing you approve.”
Lex slapped his friend on the back. “Imagine, my friend, if both our hearts’ desires are met with encouragement. It will be the beginning of a new life for us both.”