Chapter 3
Three
Infatuated, according to the Oxford English Dictionary:
To make (a person) utterly foolish or fatuous; to affect with extreme and unreasoning folly; to inspire or possess with an extravagant passion.
A wagon approached with Mr. Jackson, Meg’s ex-pugilist driver, bringing their meal.
He pulled back on the reins, then jumped from the bench.
His cap fell off, revealing cropped brown hair.
Will watched the burly man lift out two large tree stumps, smooth on both ends.
He set them beneath a tree, then fetched the trestle to set on top.
After that, he carried several baskets and placed them on the makeshift table.
“Where did you find that brick wall of a man?” Will asked Simon. “He seems more bodyguard than driver.”
“He was both for Meg when she was widowed. He’s devoted to her, and I feel better having him around when I’m away,” said Simon. “He took a bullet for her, you know.”
Will’s eyes widened. “Imagine someone having that kind of loyalty for an employer. I’d keep him too.”
Tommy looked up, scanning the hill where the manor sat. A man waved his arms back and forth. “Gotta go. Pa is calling me,” he said to Simon, then nodded at Will, and took off at a run. Chipper dashed away, staying on the boy’s heels.
“I remember having a dog like that as a lad. Didn’t want to go anywhere without him,” mused Will. “Mama wouldn’t let him in the house, so I tried to sleep in the barn loft.”
“How long did that last?” asked Simon with a grin.
“Not even the night. I tearfully explained to Sausage that we would have to be daytime friends, and I would see him in the morning.”
“Sausage? You named a dog Sausage?” Simon guffawed. “Did he steal them?”
“No, he was shaped like one. A dachshund, our best badger dog,” explained Will, laughing along with his friend as they walked toward the food.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Miss Florentia rise from the blanket she and her friends had gathered on, her jonquil muslin clinging to her slender limbs.
The sun’s rays gave him a lovely view beneath the thin material.
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He had the same reaction every time he saw the woman.
“Quite a beauty, isn’t she?” Simon slapped him on the back. “She sneaks glances at you too.”
Will snorted. “I highly doubt that.” Not that he would mind. Her hair gleamed a deep red, streaked with darker-brown and honey colors. She was pretty and clever, and last night, he’d lost himself in her chocolate eyes as she sang along to Lady Hayward’s pianoforte.
“I told you her story, didn’t I?” asked Simon.
Will nodded. She was the daughter of a viscount, and her fiancé had been killed shortly after their engagement. “Miss Florentia should have no trouble finding another match if she wishes to.”
“And what about a match for you? It would do you good to have a wife to come home to after dealing with the dregs of the courtroom, though I believe you’ve chased the blue devil away the last few months.”
“Ah, I must give credit to my keeper of mirth,” Will said, pulling out his pocket watch and showing Simon the Fu dog he’d purchased in the spring. “Supposed to protect me from negativity, give me balance. I believe it’s working.”
“I agree. You’re laughing more, which is a positive, and you came here. I was shocked you agreed to leave Town for two weeks,” agreed Simon. “Have you thought about marriage?”
“Not really, though I’m not opposed to it.
As you know, my father recently put on the leg shackles for the second time and is quite happy.
My brothers and sister sing the praises of wedded bliss.
” Will shrugged. “Fortunately, I’m not the heir or close.
I have two brothers in front of me, so I don’t have the urgent need to find a wife. ”
“Hmm, I thought you were quite taken with Tia,” said his friend, giving Will a side-glance. “You had that awkward smile on your face when she was singing last night.”
Will’s gaze jerked to Simon. “Was I that obvious?” Bollocks! He needed to be more careful. A barrister didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve.
Simon chuckled as they neared the women. “I know you well enough. If it makes you feel any better, Meg thought Tia was interested in you too.”
Those words had Will’s heart thumping. While it was true there was no dire need to find a wife, he had realized something.
The Asian charm had lifted his spirits, whether by magic or his own machinations, but his uplifted mood had emphasized his loneliness.
Not that he was a hermit, by any means. He had barrister and solicitor friends he met at the club.
But Will hadn’t had time for soirees, balls, or promenades at Hyde Park.
So his social world had narrowed to mostly men.
Visits to his father and stepmother or his sister didn’t count.
China plates, linen cloths, and glasses were at one end of the trestle, and the guests chose from a variety of food as they perused the length of the table. There was fresh bread and butter, cold sliced beef, ham, lettuces, salmagundi, cucumbers, fruit turnovers, jam puffs, and fresh fruit.
He watched as Miss Florentia chose a slice of beef, several cucumbers, a jam puff, and fresh fruit. Her hands were small and graceful. When he lifted his gaze, he couldn’t tear his eyes from her lovely profile. A surge of desire roared through him.
“Shall we gawk all day or fill our plates?” asked Simon from behind.
Will’s head jerked around, and he felt the heat rising from his neck. “Um, yes, of course.” Will quickly filled his plate. He hadn’t realized he was so hungry until he popped a hunk of ham into his mouth.
Simon joined his wife, and Will scanned the guests, spotting Miss Florentia sitting with Lady Adeline. He approached their blanket. “Would you ladies mind if I joined you?”
“Please,” said Lady Adeline.
He noticed Miss Florentia remained quiet but smiled up at him. He could easily drown in those coffee-colored eyes. At least she hadn’t said no. Deciding not to scare her off, he sat across from both women.
“Are you enjoying the picnic?” he asked.
“Very much,” said Lady Adeline.
Silence.
Lady Adeline spoke again, “Miss Florentia was commenting on how well you got along with children.”
Miss Florentia cast a scathing glare toward her friend, and Will bit back a smile. “Tommy is a jovial lad. His dog is quite entertaining too.” He paused to take a sip of lemonade. “Do either of you have experience with children? Or dogs?”
Bufflehead. What a ridiculous question.
“I love children. I find them quite honest in their opinions, and they have an uninhibited view of the world,” said Miss Florentia. “I have limited experience with pets, though I enjoy riding.”
Will launched into an amusing story about him and his brothers pretending to be circus performers.
“We had a wager on who could stand the longest on the poor pony, bareback, of course. My sister demanded we take our boots off so as not to hurt the beast.” He laughed at the memory, warmth filling his chest as he saw he had a captive audience.
“Wise sister,” agreed Miss Florentia.
“Yes, Nettie was always our conscience, which we needed. The three of us could devise some dubious entertainment that was not always appropriate or safe.”
“How did you fare?” Miss Florentia’s brow arched.
“The first wager—giving up my dessert that night, which was quite a sacrifice—was for who could stand the longest while the horse was still. Or as still as Sunflower could be with a boy trying to remain upright on her back.”
“Sunflower? Whose pony was it?” Lady Adeline was obviously holding back laughter.
“She was a palomino, hence the name, and belonged to no one in particular. She was used for whoever was learning to ride. Her patience was legendary, and our neighbors often used her to teach their children or grandchildren. But to answer the first question, I won. My oldest brother, Lucius, stayed up the shortest time, so he lost. My size, being the youngest and smallest, helped considerably.”
“What was the second wager?” Miss Florentia popped a strawberry in her mouth, and Will held back a groan as she licked a drop of juice from her bottom lip.
“A week of desserts for whoever could stay up as Sunflower walked. If we managed that, we would have moved on to the trot.” He shook his head in mock despair.
“I will tell you now that it was a disaster. Nettie tried to talk us out of it, and because of that, she was the only one who wasn’t punished. ”
The ladies set down their plates and gave him their full attention.
His oratory skills were in demand today.
“I went first as the victor. I lost balance after several steps and dropped onto her back. My brother Jeremiah went next, teetered precariously after Sunflower took her first step, and jumped off. Lucius bragged that the contest was now his. He managed to keep his balance as the horse moved, then a squirrel dropped from a tree he was under. Sunflower spooked, Lucius did a perfect somersault in the air and landed on the ground with a loud and painful cry.”
“Oh no!” cried Miss Florentia. “Was he hurt?”
“Broken arm. When the surgeon arrived and set the bone”—he shuddered dramatically—“it was the most horrific sound I’d ever heard. And the howl that erupted from my brother’s throat… Well, as a boy, it certainly instilled in me the need for caution.”
Will picked out the anchovies from his salmagundi, preferring the chopped chicken and piece of boiled egg.
“Don’t feel too sorry for him though,” Will said as he finished chewing.
“Lucius got Jeremiah’s dessert for a week, and I was at his beck and call for whatever he needed his right arm for until it healed.
If you knew Lucius, you would understand what a punishment that was. ”
“Your brother is vindictive?” asked Lady Adeline.
“Oh no, not at all. But he will take full advantage of a situation whenever needed. I became as proficient as a soldier at lacing boots quickly. My skills as a lackey were well-honed by the time his arm healed. Father did step in when Lucius insisted I feed him, his right hand being his favored side.”
The women laughed. “What kind of cases do you take on, Mr. Page?” asked Miss Florentia.
Will paused, reaching for the Fu dog and rubbing it between his forefinger and thumb as he thought of his days at the Old Bailey.
He had no intention of sharing any sad or horrid stories with these beautiful ladies on such a lovely sunny day.
His mind spun as he tried to think of one of his more humorous cases, wanting to hear Miss Florentia’s laughter again and see that brilliant smile.
“One of my close friends, a solicitor who often brings me cases, approached me with a unique situation. His client, a baronet, was being accused of slander by an earl. Of course, the former was concerned but insisted he had only spoken the truth.” He grinned.
“The man had proclaimed loudly in a public room that the earl had purchased a dog that could pass for his son. The two appeared that similar. The baronet was only joking, but the earl was quite offended. Hence, the lawsuit.”
“What kind of dog?” asked Lady Adeline, wiping her mouth with a linen cloth after devouring a lemon tart.
“A pug.”
Lady Adeline gasped. “Did he? Look like a pug?”
Miss Florentia covered her mouth to hide her smile, but her shoulders shook with silent laughter. One of her claret-colored curls bounced against her soft cheek.
Finish the story, nodcock.
“That’s exactly what I asked the jury. I had the earl bring along his purchased pup, and I held it up next to his lordship and requested the jurors judge for themselves.”
“And?” both women asked at the same time.
“Quickest verdict I’ve ever had returned. The judge had to use his gavel to silence the laughter, and all agreed the earl’s protruding brown eyes and flat nose indeed resembled the pug. The judge did order the baronet to publicly apologize for the embarrassment, but he was not charged with libel.”