“Oh, look at you, Alice!” came a happy exclamation from the patio beyond the lawn, bordering on the side of the manor. It was Nancy, watching her friend with amusement on her face.
How inappropriate,Thomas thought with some amusement, the corner of his lip twitching upwards in a smile at the thought of what the other noblemen might think of a young lady acting so wildly in full view of practically half the party.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw that a couple of the nobles had begun to take notice. For a moment a claw of a pity stabbed Thomas’ heart. He could imagine that a few of them were stubborn and set in their ways, believing that this kind of behaviour was appalling. It was certainly clear that Baron Colton thought that way for his face was beginning to twist with disgust.
“Owen, I think perhaps you ought to make our presence known,” Thomas suggested, telling himself that he was merely being a gentleman in protecting what was left of Miss Skeffington’s reputation when it came to being a demure young lady.
Though he believed that many of these men were not worth her time, he knew as well as the rest of them that their word would be taken seriously throughout all the Ton, especially when reporting on the party of such a highly respected man such as Owen.I shall not have my friend brought into question on the kind of company his wife chooses to keep,he told himself though really it was far more than that.
“Yes, of course!” Owen gasped where he had been leaning over with his hands on his knees to capture his breath once more. He stood up straight and raised his hand to wave as he called over, “Nancy, my love, we have returned for lunch!”
Nancy instantly turned toward them, and Thomas saw the way the woman’s face dropped instantly upon seeing the men all walking toward the manor. Her face paled and Thomas was certain that if he had been closer, he would have heard her gulp or perhaps even gasp in horror.
“Alice!” Nancy hissed, seemingly under her breath but the exclamation managed to reach Thomas on the breeze. In the next moment the lady of the manor was hurrying toward them as fast as her long legs would carry her without allowing herself to run. God forbid that anyone would see Nancy run after the inappropriate way her friend had just been running about the lawn.
A couple of the men were mumbling behind Thomas and although he could not quite hear what they were saying, he just could about make out their tone and their body language, all of which suggesting that they were not entirely pleased with what they had just witnessed.
Thomas had to struggle to stop himself from rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of their reaction.Anyone would think that they were old men,he thought grimly, feeling sorry for Alice who had instantly paused upon the lawn with her head bowed and her hands clasped before her, the dogs now jumping at her legs seemingly confused by the sudden change in her.
They whimpered and bounced as if trying to get her to play once more and Thomas had to admit that he would have much rather been on the other side of that fence, running up and down the lawn with Miss Skeffington and the dogs rather than on this side with men who believed she should not be doing so.
Though his good sense and rationality told him that it was inappropriate for a debutante to do so, he also could not help but feel as though it was a breath of fresh air to see, to be able to witness the carefree and happy woman beneath the demure and downcast facade that Miss Skeffington usually wore.
“Please forgive my friend, my lords,” Nancy announced even as she hurried toward them, smoothing her hands down the front of her peach dress, “She is not usually quite so wild. She merely has a great love for animals. Something I believe she is to be commended for.”
She glanced over her shoulder at her friend, and it was clear from the way that Miss Skeffington paled that Nancy had shot her some kind of warning glance, perhaps silently suggesting that she should be very careful indeed.
Then Nancy turned back to the lords who had begun to gather at the end of the lawn, some of them kicking mud off from their boots and others removing their hunting jackets as the sun outside of the woods was much more powerful. Even Thomas was beginning to feel quite claustrophobic in his own.
“I think it’s a good thing Lady Skeffington is too preoccupied to have noticed.” Philip chuckled from beside Thomas and the earl followed the brown-haired man’s gaze to the patio beyond the lawn where it appeared that Lady Skeffington had nodded off with a teacup and saucer in hand.
A maid had just stepped up beside her and was looking as though she was debating whether to take them from her. Her hand drew in close before pulling back quickly as Lady Skeffington gave a snort and moved a little in her whitewashed iron patio chair. The maid appeared to be holding her breath as she took the chance and quickly yanked the teacup and saucer from the older lady’s hands before she could drop either of them.
“It appears my mother has had a little too much sun,” Alice called from where she was now trying desperately to ignore the dogs, kicking them away gently with the side of her foot even as she bowed to the lords and suggested, “I think I ought to get her to her room for some rest.”
Thomas could see the redness in the woman’s cheeks that clearly suggested she was quite embarrassed by the entire thing, both knowing that she had been quite improper and yet somehow beneath her discomfiture she appeared though she was not regretful. She had quite clearly been having the time of her life and for a moment Thomas could not help but admire her again.
A young lady who could be polite and demure in public yet let her hair down around her friends and those she trusted was quite a rare find, or so he believed. He allowed himself only a moment to admire her before reminding himself of their conversation the night before and how she had been a know-it-all, how she had left him standing there in the parlour gazing after her.
Though his impression of her had improved it was only slightly and not nearly enough for him to change his mind on her entirely.
“She is beautiful, is she not?” a voice sounded in Thomas’ ear, and it instantly made his hackles rise. Of all the men who could have made such a comment, it had to have been the one that Thomas liked the least. He tried his hardest not to react in an undignified manner as he turned to find Mr Gouldsmith standing beside him. He was staring openly at the young lady who was hurrying across the lawn to her mother on the patio with the spaniels in tow.
“Pardon me?” Thomas asked, making out that he had not heard the man to centre himself, to prepare himself for wherever this conversation might be leading. He struggled to stop his jaw and his shoulders from tensing, absolutely certain that he would not allow the man to see his dislike for him. He was not such a fool as to give all his thoughts and feelings away, especially in front of strangers.
“Miss Skeffington, she is quite beautiful, is she not?” Mr Gouldsmith repeated, and it was not until the man with his dark blonde hair and his hazel eyes turned his gaze upon Thomas that he realised he too had been gazing admiringly at Miss Skeffington for quite some time.
Though coming from anyone else the comment might have been acceptable, maybe even just brushed off as a passing comment, Thomas could not help but feel his hackles rising. He could not be sure, but he thought there was something beneath the comment, some intention, almost as if the gentleman was trying to get the measure of him.
Is he trying to get a measure of the competition?Thomas wondered before quickly reminding himself that he was not any such thing. He had no intentions toward Miss Skeffington.
He had been sure of that the moment he heard the motives for such an extravagant week from the lips of the woman herself.Yet he does not know that,Thomas reminded himself, and a part of him was certain it would be much more fun to, at least for now, allow the man to believe that was exactly what he was.
Glancing over the gentleman’s shoulder to where Owen and Philip had congregated, he allowed his voice to rise just enough for the two of them to hear him, “Miss Skeffington is certainly a sight to behold, though I fear she is much too wild for me.”
“Really, my lord?” Mr Gouldsmith sounded utterly shocked, and it was not until Thomas fixed the man with his gaze that he added, “I had heard that you quite liked wild women.”
Thomas cringed at that. No doubt many of the men in thetonhad heard of his more inappropriate college days and yet they had been some years ago. He had not thought about them in some time and though he still took his delights of the flesh where he could, he was certainly far more cautious about such things now that he was an earl.