“Excuse me, my aunt is summoning me,” Mary said sweetly. “I think she means to go.”
Gritting his teeth while Mary said goodbye to the rest of their circle, Rex proffered his arm to her.
“You are in so much trouble,” he murmured, leaning toward her as he escorted her to her aunt, who was waiting just past Sinclair. Mary smiled breezily up at him, eyes wide and innocent.
“I am sure I do not know what you speak of.”
If he did not know better, he would have believed her. Admiration surged. Even Arabella, with all her wild ways and disdain for social propriety, had not challenged him the way Mary did… and he was sure not even her family knew of Mary’s audaciousness.
Now, he just had to get her to agree to marry him and introduce her to the rest of the Society and its activities, although the latter no longer held the appeal it once had. Rex frowned, watching his intended leave the ballroom with her aunt. It had never occurred to him once he found a woman to marry, he mightnotwant her partaking in the Society activities. It had definitely never occurred to him the idea of partaking in those activities with women other than her would no longer appeal.
Was this what marriage did to a man?
No, that could not be it. He had not felt this way when he had intended to marry Arabella. In fact, he had handily juggled both his courtship of her and his nights with the Society. It was only Mary who made him feel this way.
Chapter 11
Mary
After church on Sunday, Mary made her way to Hyde Park with her maid in tow, ostensibly to watch over her since she could not go ‘wandering around London alone,’ according to Thomas. He had come with her last week and gone riding after passing her off to her friends, but this week, Arabella was demanding more of his attention. Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Henry were spending the afternoon together in the library, and Walter was making himself scarce as usual.
At some point, Mary was going to have to figure out how to talk to Walter about his role in Rex’s Society, but her cousin would have to actually be present for that to happen.
Dressed in a sensible blue pelisse over her favorite green walking gown, hair tucked up under a wide-brimmed, blue-and-white bonnet, Mary was relieved to feel as though she had faded back into obscurity. It was too early in the day for the park to be very crowded, but no one gave her a second glance, which she found far more comfortable than all the stares and whispers from the night before.
Making her way down to the Serpentine, she was relieved to see Evie and Lily already waiting for her under the willow overhanging the bank. While the spot did not offer complete privacy, it was as good as they could get under the circumstances.
“Wait here for me,” Mary told the maid accompanying her, pointing to a bench within viewing distance of the willow. “I wish to speak to my friends alone.”
“Yes, miss.” The maid looked bored but also relieved, taking to her seat with alacrity, already looking about the park to watch the other visitors. Satisfied, Mary continued to her friends.
“Good morning.” Mary pushed the wispy branches out of her way, moving to the blanket where Evie and Lily were sitting. Like her, Lily and Evie were both dressed fashionably but functionally in outfits not meant to draw attention.
“Is it?” Evie raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. “I heard you were the belle of the ball last night. I must admit, becoming the Marquess of Hartford’s intended was not how I expected you to go about your task. Lily makes it sound as though you did not have much choice, though.”
“No, I did not.” Arranging her skirts and legs to a comfortable position, Mary made a face. “Following him at the Richmond ball and sneaking around his house during his masquerade piqued his attention.”
“I do not understand how he even noticed you.” Evie grimaced as soon as she said the words, shooting Mary an apologetic look. “I do not mean… it is just that you are so very good at fading into the background and overhearing things when you want to.” Her eyes narrowed, a thought occurring to her. “Did you not want to with him?”
“I tried… but…” Mary pressed her lips together, one hand creeping up to touch the bonnet her hair was piled beneath. “He notices me. He even knew my hair color had changed from last Season.”
“Who noticed you?” Josie was out of breath as she hurried beneath the branches before flopping down next to Mary. Her cherry-red pelisse was eye catching, as was the matching hat perched atop her curls. She stood out among them like a bright rose stuck into a bouquet of daisies. Discretion was not one of her strong suits. “Why are we talking about your hair again?”
Mary rolled her eyes, Lily laughed, but Evie just shook her head, even though she could not stop a small smile from spreading on her lips, despite Josie’s tardiness. She tended to have that effect—charming people even when they wanted to be annoyed with her.
“Hartford noticed Mary’s hair color is different this Season,” Lily informed her before turning back to Mary. “You did not tell us that before.”
Shrugging, Mary truly did not have an answer for them. There were several things between herself and Rex she had been reluctant to disclose, but the others—like the spanking and the subsequent pleasure—made more sense to conceal. She did not know how her friends would react, and it wasprivate. Why she kept his comment about her hair to herself… that was not as easy to explain.
“So, he noticed you last Season and remembered your hair,” Evie said, tapping her finger thoughtfully against her lower lip, the way she did when she was puzzling out something. “He is either extremely observant or…”
“Or he was already interested in you.” Josie grinned wickedly.
Blinking in surprise, Mary only took a moment to think about it before shaking her head.
“The one time I was close enough for him to notice me last Season, he was already courting Arabella.”
“That does not mean he did not notice you,” Lily pointed out thoughtfully. “Heisa rake.”