Chapter 9
Finding herself quite perplexed by her conversation at the lunch table with Lord Warrington, Alice tried her hardest not to think about it or him for the rest of the day. She found it exceedingly difficult due to the nature of his departure, offering words that could have been a compliment yet seemed as though they were a veiled insult.
He is not the kind of man who would begrudge a woman for letting a little loose and playing with a couple of dogs,she told herself firmly before reminding herself that she did not truly know him. Though he had ridden late into dinner, muddied up and stinking of horse on the first night of the events, Lord Warrington might very well have been just as stubborn and traditional as the rest of the Ton.
Alice spent much of the day, trying, and failing not to think of the awkward encounter, spending most of her time hiding away in the library or walking the gardens, constantly looking over her shoulder for fear that one of the gentlemen might come looking to spend time with her.
Yet it seemed that Owen had succeeded in offering her some relief, taking most of the gentlemen away for hunting. Every so often, she would hear a gunshot off in the distance and wonder whether someone might have caught something. From the conversation at the lunch table earlier, the first half of their hunt had not gone very well.
Yet, when she arrived in the parlour that evening to await the dinner gong, she found that many of the men were in much higher spirits than they had been at lunch. Having spent the entire day procrastinating and avoiding all, especially Lord Warrington, even Alice could not help but smile at the excitement that was quite palpable in the room.
“Do you think that the cook will have had time to prepare what we caught?” Alice heard Baron Colton ask even before she entered the room.
“I am sure she will have had chance for some of it, though I do not believe the boar Lord Warrington bested will have had the time to cook,” his brother responded, “It was rather large. Perhaps, they shall serve it at breakfast tomorrow.”
Hearing mention of Lord Warrington, Alice quickly turned in avoidance of the two gentlemen. She could think of nothing worse than speaking to the two most boring gentlemen in the entire party about the very man she had been trying to avoid all day.
It was not until she had fully turned and began to walk away in the direction of the fireplace at the far end of the parlour where several of the young women were gathered on the couches that Alice realised her mistake. She all but bumped right into the sturdy and muscular chest of the strikingly handsome earl.
Stumbling backwards in avoidance of him, Alice quickly dropped down into a curtsey, offering a quick apology even as she felt her cheeks beginning to flush with embarrassment.Could today get any worse?Alice wondered, keeping herself low until she was certain that the embarrassment had begun to fade from her face once more.
“My apologies, Miss Skeffington,” Lord Warrington responded, and Alice was surprised when he reached for her, taking hold of her forearms in order to guide her back to her feet. “That was entirely my fault.”
Almost as if she had sensed the two of them together, Nancy appeared as if out of nowhere and with a brilliant smile announced, “Just the two I was hoping to meet!”
Even before Alice could offer her friend a greeting, Nancy slipped one arm into Alice’s and the other into the crook of Lord Warrington’s elbow and began to guide them both back toward the parlour door.
“Nancy, I…” Alice began, unsure as to what she wanted to say but certain that she did not like where this was heading already. The way that Nancy had bound them together, holding them both as if what she had to say concerned them both made Alice more than a little uneasy.
“I was rather hoping that the two of you might sit together at dinner tonight,” Nancy said, glancing between the two of them. Alice could not bring herself to meet Lord Warrington’s gaze, seeing even out of the corner of her eye that his face had paled the moment Nancy mentioned their sitting together.No doubt he is also thinking of our awkward conversation after lunch,Alice thought, gulping down the urge to instantly snap that it would not be a good idea.
Instead, she paused for a moment, waiting to see what the earl might say. She was surprised when he began, “I would be pleased to sit with…”
Unable to allow him to finish the sentence, Alice quickly spoke up, “Actually, I was rather hoping that I might sit with Mr Gouldsmith this evening.”
Mr Gouldsmith?she thought, scolding herself though relieved that the first name to come to her lips had not been Baron Colton, or worse, his brother. Of all the men at the party, save for Philip, Mr Gouldsmith was the lesser of evils.
Looking quite surprised, Nancy gaped at Alice for a moment before quickly seeming to recover herself.
“Well, now I feel foolish.” She sighed, her cheeks flushing, though Alice knew better than to believe her bashfulness was real. Nancy had grown well versed in playing the part of the perfect woman, wife, and hostess. Everything about her was likely an act by now and Alice was almost certain that save for Owen, she was the only one who could see right through her best friend.
“I would not wish to get in the way of your plans, Miss Skeffington,” Lord Warrington told Alice, removing his arm from Nancy’s even as he bowed and began to make his departure. “I wish you well with Mr Gouldsmith.”
Even though his words were evidently polite, Alice could not help but feel as though there were something slightly more sinister beneath them. Gazing at him closely she was sure that his jaw was clenched, and he did not meet her gaze when he straightened up from his bow. He appeared quite uncomfortable and if Alice did not know any better, she might have believed him jealous.
Have I annoyed him?Alice wondered for only an instant as she watched him walking away, unable to stop herself from noticing the tension in his shoulders.
“Well, I must say I am both surprised and impressed,” Nancy announced the moment that he was out of earshot. Alice noticed the way she kept her voice low as though she did not want any of the other guests to overhear her. When Alice turned to her friend, she saw that her smile was filled with pride.
“Impressed? Whatever for?” Alice asked, raising a blonde eyebrow at her friend. Nancy squeezed Alice’s arm where she was still holding onto it and her smile seemed to broaden further though Alice was not entire sure how that was even possible.
“I did not realise you had it in you to make a man jealous like that,” Nancy said, practically giddy with excitement. “I mean, did you see Lord Warrington’s face when you chose Mr Gouldsmith? Well done on not choosing one of the other nobles or he might have taken it as an insult. Choosing a gentleman like Mr Gouldsmith was perfect.”
Alice gulped at her friend’s words, suddenly realising what she meant.But that was not my intention!Suddenly wishing that she could take back the last few minutes, Alice felt her stomach sinking.
Too late she saw that Lord Warrington had practically wandered directly into Mr Gouldsmith’s path and the two were conversing. Alice tried her hardest to glean some information on what the two gentlemen were saying to each other, but it was next to impossible with such a great distance between them. She continued to hold her breath when the two men bowed their heads in farewell and Mr Gouldsmith began to wander toward them.
“Lady Kendall, Miss Skeffington, forgive me for being so bold but am I wrong to believe you wished to sit beside me this evening?” Mr Gouldsmith asked, addressing the question directly to Alice before glancing between the two women as though he expected for the decision to have to be mutual between them.