[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
him. He had chased after adventure and excitement,
changing women as easily and as often as he changed
183
locale. Now, settling down with one particular woman
was all that he could think about. Even the idea of
having children with Harriet was appealing. I must be
touched in the upper works, Adrian muttered to himself
as he shifted in his chair, took another sip of brandy,
and tried for the hundredth time to focus on The Times
in front of him.
Finally he gave up trying to read and concentrated
on the problem at hand. Think about it, Chalfont, he
admonished himself, with Alicia you will never have a
moment s worry. She will look and act the part of the
Marchioness of Kidderham to perfection, leaving you to
pursue whatever course you wish, so long as you
escort her to the requisite number of ton functions.
Since she cares only about your title, property, and
position, she will never be jealous should you have
other interests, and she is far too well-bred ever to
comment on such a thing. Life will be comfortable.
Unfortunately, this line of reasoning turned out to
be as disastrous as every other because Adrian soon
found himself wondering if Harriet would be jealous
and if he would want her to be. It was most
disconcerting to reflect that he was not at all certain
whether she cared enough to be jealous. Did she feel
about him the way he did about her? He had thought
so in the carriage, but the more he considered it, the
less sure he became. Such doubts were unique for a
man who was far more accustomed to raising them in
the minds and hearts of others than he was to
experiencing them himself. Worse yet, would he be
jealous of Harriet? The answer, a resounding yes, sent
him flying from his chair in search of his long-suffering
batman.
Richards, Richards, he bellowed most
uncharacteristically as he headed toward his
bedchamber.
Yes, my lord? Richards emerged from the dressing
room where he had been sorting cravats.
I wish you to pack at once. We are returning to
London tomorrow.
Yes, my lord, very good, my lord. Richards s face
remained impassive, but his mind was working
furiously. What could have caused this sudden change
in plans? There had been nothing in the post this
morning that would have occasioned such a decision
184
and while it was true that Lord Chalfont did have a
penchant for travel and changing of locale, the man
was not quixotic by any means. He usually gave his
servant several days warning before decamping.
No, this was decidedly uncharacteristic for the
marquess, Richards mused as he set about packing. In
fact, it was so unlike his lordship that the batman did
not have far to look for an explanation. It is that Lady
Harriet, he muttered beneath his breath as he closed
the lid on one of the valises. She is the only person
who has affected him enough to be the cause of such a
queer start.
Lord Chalfont s air of abstraction during their
sojourn in Oxfordshire had not been lost on his
servant, and Richards had a fair idea of the agony his
master was suffering. The marquess had been
unusually taciturn and, though he was never one to
abstain from the bottle, he had consumed far greater
quantities of brandy and port than Richards could ever
remember. For a man of action, his lordship had
wasted an inordinate number of hours staring out
across the vast lawns of Chalfont or gazing into the
fire, and it was obvious to even the most casual of
observers that he was wrestling with thoughts of a
most disturbing nature.
With all his heart Richards wished he could help his
master. It did not seem fair that a Trojan like his
lordship should be condemned to spend the rest of his
life with a cold fish like the De Villiers girl, especially
when Lady Harriet was such a right one. The batman
shook his head as he opened another valise. Even he,
resourceful as he was, could not see a way out of this
one.
Come to think of it, Richards reflected glumly, his
own existence was also bound to become less
comfortable, for undoubtedly his new mistress would
insist that her husband hire a proper gentleman s
gentleman to see to him. Was there ever such a coil?
Richards doubted it. Well, there was no use repining.
They would just have to make the best of it, and he
would do his utmost to support his master while
keeping his eyes, ears, and mind open.
At least they were returning to London where Lord
Chalfont was bound to encounter Lady Harriet.
Richards had been of the mind that distance would
ease the situation, but he had quickly changed it when
185
he saw how much Lord Chalfont missed Lady Harriet.
Although the marquess could not hope for anything
more than friendship from her ladyship, he could still
enjoy that, and Richards had been a witness to the
happiness that friendship had brought his master. It
was not difficult for the batman to know when Lord
Chalfont had been spending time with the lady in
question for he always returned to their quarters full of
energy and brimming with ideas to put into action.
There was always a light in his eyes and a secret smile
hovering on his lips that told as plainly as if he were
wearing a placard that he had been with Lady Harriet
Fareham.
Richards could not remember anyone, certainly no
previous mistress, or even a brother officer, who had
brought such companionship into the marquess s life.
Any contact with a person such as Lady Harriet, no
matter how little, was better than none at all. Why
even just seeing her from afar; as Richards had
occasionally witnessed, seemed to put Lord Chalfont in
a happier frame of mind. Surely returning to London
along with the possibility of seeing Lady Harriet would
restore some of the vitality so notably lacking in the
marquess during their trip into the country. The
batman devoutly hoped so, but only time would tell.
Chapter 31
Lord Chalfont was not the only one suffering from
his absence from the metropolis. Much to her dismay,
Harriet was also discovering that life without the
Marquess of Kidderham was decidedly flat. She
continued her lessons at the Temple of Venus and had
the distinct pleasure of seeing Lucy moved by her new
protector, a wealthy brewer, to a snug little house of
her own in Marylebone. To Harriet it did not seem
much of an escape from her former life, but Lucy was
ecstatic. I know it is not a tavern of my own, but all I
have ever really wanted was a house of my own and a
gentleman to take care of me. I know that the
connection will not last, but at least I am established
now and I know I can continue that way. You have
taught me to act like a lady, which is what first
captivated Mr. Ruggles s fancy, that and my knowledge
of brewing. But what with the house and knowing how
to read and do sums, I expect I shall do well for
186
myself.
But somehow, despite her pleasure in Lucy s good
fortune, Harriet was not as thrilled as she expected to
be, partly because she had no one with whom to share
the news. She longed to be able to tell it to the only
person who could truly appreciate the significance of it
all. Lord Chalfont.
But it was not only Harriet s visits to the Temple of
Venus that lacked their usual interest, so did her rides
in the park, not to mention her appearance in the
various ballrooms of the ton s fashionable hostesses.
With something of a shock, Harriet realized, as she
was joining in a country dance at Lady Milford s, that,
when the Marquess of Kidderham was present, she
had almost come to enjoy such affairs. Then she knew
she could expect intelligent conversation for at least
one dance.
What Harriet did not acknowledge was that she
missed waltzing with Lord Chalfont, not so much
because of the conversation as because of the way he
made her feel. She had tried most assiduously to put
aside all thoughts of the warmth of his hand on her
waist and the closeness of the tall lean body to hers.
Such memories brought back the even more aching
one of his arms around her in the carriage and the feel
of his lips on hers evoking longings and desires in her
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]