Chapter 7
Just as he’d told Eveline two nights before, it had been months since Vaughn had attended Lady Lena’s Salon.
Those kinds of public outings had become too difficult to bear as the heat of the gossip surrounding his divorce grew worse.
Eventually, he had locked himself away almost entirely, cutting off everything but the well of his own pain, anger and humiliation.
Wallowing had become his pastime and he was very good at it even if he hated himself for such self-indulgence and missed the more nuanced man he once was.
So tonight, sitting at the crowded salon, watching the door for Evelina’s arrival, he couldn’t help but feel a little out of sorts.
There was so much energy in the air from the people around him, so much anticipation of what would be discussed by Caroline Herschel, who had once been in the inner circle of George III.
That was long before the king’s decline, and the rise of his thoughtless, frivolous son as Regent.
Vaughn looked at the lady in question. She was older, in her sixties, he would wager.
If seen on the street, some might dismiss her as merely an old woman in an unfashionable white lace cap and drab dark blue gown, but one only had to look at her bright eyes as she chatted with one of the salon’s owners, Harriet Smith, to see the golden glow of her intelligence.
In that moment, he thought of Evelina and her spark.
He supposed she must also be often judged by her appearance, though in the opposite direction.
Men looked at her curves and her suggestive dresses and her pleasing mask and thought her one thing.
Certainly, he’d heard many men over the years speak of her as only one thing, including Southwater.
But after just one evening with her, Vaughn was beginning to realize just how deep those waters went. It was a fascinating thing.
“Lord Blackburn.”
He jolted as he realized the lady in question had arrived while he mused about women in general being judged for their outward appearances. Evelina now stood beside his chair and she smiled as he jumped to his feet and tried to recall what he was meant to pretend about their meeting here.
“Miss Comerford,” he said, and let his gaze flit over her.
She was dressed less provocatively than usual tonight.
Her blue-gray silk gown was draped and arranged to accentuate amazing curves, but not flaunt them.
She wore fewer gems than the last time he’d seen her, too.
There was something so lovely about her that it put him to mind of spring.
A season full of newness and possibility.
“What a pleasure it is to see you, my lord,” she said, extending a gloved hand.
He took it and lifted it to his lips briefly. He caught a whiff of her scent as she stepped a little closer. Cherry blossom, if he wasn’t mistaken. Another hint of spring after his very long winter.
“I didn’t know you were a member here,” she lied, meeting his eyes with both a clear message and also a little concern.
He supposed he had earned the second because he must look as off-kilter as he felt.
Honestly, he had to get his head in the game they were playing.
After all, people were looking at them as they interacted so publicly, watching them with evident interest. He had to take advantage of what the crowd would think and assume about them.
Be mindful that everything he did from this moment forward would also likely be reported to their former partners.
“Yes, it’s been a while since I attended,” he managed to get out without much difficulty in finding the right words once he began. “And I suppose we must have gone on different nights if we never saw each other before. What a delight to know we share this common interest.”
Evelina glanced toward Miss Herschel at the front of the room and her expression brightened with what seemed to be true happiness.
“It is. Tonight should be fascinating. Miss Herschel discovered five comets in her own right, you know, while working for the King.” Her lips pursed slightly.
“One must wonder how many of her brother’s discoveries were more than merely assisted by her. ”
He frowned as he followed her gaze and observed the older woman again. “I’m sure more than one. I suppose that’s how it is for many women of an intellectual bent. To be taken seriously they must be merged into the academic lives of a brother or husband. It seems very unfair.”
He looked at Evelina and found she had turned her face toward his and was watching him with great intent.
She shifted slightly, as if she was a little stunned, and then she nodded.
“I agree. It’s interesting to hear a man, especially a man of your rank, understand or acknowledge that sad and frustrating truth. ”
He smiled a little. “I do try not to be an entirely obtuse arse. I fail a great deal, I’m certain.” He motioned toward the chair he had been guarding until her arrival. “Would you care to sit beside me during the presentation? It seems we share a great deal in common on this subject.”
She jolted, like she’d forgotten this exchange wasn’t exactly real.
They’d planned it, after all, it wasn’t as natural as he hoped it seemed.
But then again, it wasn’t as false as it could have been, either.
Just like at her home for supper two nights before, he felt the real spark of interest when it came to his exchanges with her.
She was a captivating woman, after all. He did want to know her thoughts on astronomy and exploration and music and all the other interests he’d nurtured privately when Florence had shown them no interest and even disdain.
“I would be happy to join you, my lord,” she said.
They didn’t get to talk anymore after that and the attention that had been paid to them by those in the crowd around them faded, too, as Lady Lena, the face of the salon, stepped to the dais in the front of the room and began a spirited introduction of Miss Herschel.
For the first time in months, Vaughn relaxed into nothing but enjoyment of the event.
And enjoyment of the company he was lucky enough to keep, regardless of the motives he and Evelina had developed when they first arranged to meet here.
* * *
Evelina’s hands hurt from clapping so hard when the evening came to its end.
She had come here as part of a ploy arranged with Vaughn, but she had truly enjoyed every aspect of the night.
Miss Herschel was a clever, amusing presenter and her observations about the stars and revelations of how she had meticulously mapped them were enthralling.
She looked to her right and found Vaughn also clapping vigorously.
All night she had been just as drawn to him as to the astronomer.
He had listened with as much rapt attention as she had.
His interest hadn’t been pretended either, for at the end of the formal presentation, when Lady Lena had called for participation from the audience, he had asked some of the same questions Evelina herself had had during the evening.
It was clear that the man was as intelligent as he was handsome and rich.
That wasn’t always true of men like him, of course.
Many of her lovers in the past had rank but no sense.
And many of the interesting men she met had sense but no purse.
To find one with all of the above felt a little like spotting a unicorn.
Rare and…well, sleek and beautiful weren’t the worst descriptors for her companion.
Blackburn turned toward her with a wide smile that lit up his face. “That was sublime,” he said. “Did you enjoy it?”
“Oh yes!” she gushed. “When she talked about finding her first comet, I admit I was almost brought to tears. What a feeling that must have been. And it seems we judged her brother a little harshly earlier tonight. I adored that he always called it ‘my sister’s comet’ when he presented about it to the king. ”
“Yes, I also love that he was her champion,” Blackburn agreed. “And still is, it sounds like.”
She sighed with pleasure. “Oh, it was such a fine night.”
He offered her his arm and she stared at it a moment.
This was what they’d planned, after all, to show a small connection that others could gossip about before they made their bigger splash where it might be obvious they were lovers.
But somehow the act of taking his elbow felt like it had deeper meaning.
Like it was truly stepping into something new, not merely some act.
She blinked and pushed that foolish thought away, then forced her fingers to close inside his outstretched elbow.
As he led her toward a table with petit fours and punch, she couldn’t help but be fully aware of the lean strength of him.
If they had truly planned to be lovers, she would have been excited to unwrap him from all that propriety and find out what was underneath.
But she’d never see the impressive muscle she felt. She had to stop being silly about it. They had an agreement and it was best to leave the business they were conducting separate from anything real.
A woman near them whispered behind her fan to a gentleman and the two of them looked at her and Blackburn. She forced herself back into reality and edged a little closer. Into his orbit just like the stars they’d been hearing about all night.
“Lord Blackburn, I think you know they’re all watching,” she said beneath her breath, fluttering her lashes a little.
He swallowed and nodded. “They’ve been watching all night. You were spot on in that assessment. Not that I’d expect anything less, clever as you are.”
Heat filled her cheeks at that compliment.
In this setting where it was obvious he was the kind of man who appreciated intelligence, it felt like it had more meaning.
“I suppose we should make our exit before many others leave, then. Just so they can watch us go and see our slightly more than formal farewell.”
“And what would that entail?” he asked.
“Perhaps you hold my hand a little too long?” she suggested. “Watch my carriage drive away with a look of longing on your face?”
“You should be on the stage, natural performer that you are,” he teased. “But I can easily do both.”
“Good.” She let him lead her toward the exit of the salon. It was situated above Mattigan’s, the city’s best bookshop, and they came down the stairs and around to the front of that shop. Inside she could see a cozy fire burning and the bookseller chatting in an animated way to several patrons.
Blackburn raised a hand to have her carriage brought and they stood together as other patrons from the Salon meandered out onto the street for their own exits. They were definitely being watched and she once again leaned just a fraction closer.
He cleared his throat. “Would you still like to attend the opera? They’re performing Rossini in three days at Drury Lane Theatre.”
“Ah, very romantic. Perfect for our own show,” she said. “I would be pleased to join you.”
“Excellent. I’ll send all the details and pick you up that night,” he said.
Her carriage arrived and he lifted her hand to his lips, lingering there a little longer than he had when he first greeted her.
She knew it was all for show but when he lifted his green gaze to hers as he brushed his lips over the silk of her glove her heart made a very real rate increase.
She didn’t have to pretend her blush or the way her hand shook as he released her and waved off her footman to help her into the rig himself.
“Goodnight,” he said before he closed the door and allowed her to depart. She pushed the curtain away from her window and found he was, indeed, watching her as she rode away. If she hadn’t known it was all an act, she would have thought he truly had an interest in her.
She shoved back into her seat and folded her arms. “Absolutely not,” she chided herself softly. “This is an arrangement of a very different kind and a very good way for you to practice not getting lost in a man just because he’s handsome or witty or fascinating.”
She said the words, but it was harder to feel them.
Which meant she had to be very careful as they moved forward in this bargain.
She didn’t have much of herself left to lose.
She couldn’t give it away to a man who clearly still had feelings for his wayward wife.
A man who had made it clear he was only using her.