George sat in his dining room at Long’s Hotel, uninspired to do anything. He could only suppose that Lady Alice had already left, and London was a dashed bleak place without her. Throughout his month in Cornwall, she had entered his mind more often than he would have thought possible. How had he gone so many years without knowing her? He had almost forgotten what had filled his thoughts before.
At first glance, Lady Alice was simply another Society woman of high breeding, no different than the rest of the women in the ton. But she had penetrated the indifferent barrier people put up when they attended Society events and had become something more. It was a shame she did not want to marry. Why did she not want to marry? It made no sense, especially when they shared such an easy rapport. George leaned one arm on the table, fiddling with his teacup. If he thought there were the slightest chance.
He sat up. Well, maybe there was a chance, and it needed only the right man. And maybe that man was him. There was only one way to find out: he would begin pursuing her as eagerly as Duck had pursued Miss Chauncey, except this time, he would not be slow in making a declaration, thereby allowing some mushroom to slip in and win her at the last minute.
Speaking of which, the wedding of Lord Hicks and Miss Chauncey was a mere two weeks away. The announcement had finally been inserted in The London Gazette the day before. George could not figure out why there needed to be such a rush for them to be wed, except for the fact that Mrs. Chauncey was likely eager to have her daughter securely riveted. The whole thing rather turned one’s stomach when one thought about how fixated people were on titles. When Duck had not received any word back on how he might meet with Miss Chauncey, he had grown only more morose. If George didn’t do something soon, he would fall into the dismals as well. He decided it was time to throw a few punches.
A short time later, he entered No. 13 Bond Street, eager to work off some of the frustration that had built up inside of him. A few rounds of boxing would serve the purpose. As he stripped off his coat, he thought of the Marquess of Anley, wondering if he would meet him here and if the marquess would give him news of his sister. Minutes later, the man himself appeared.
Anley caught his gaze and came over. “Clavering,” he greeted, sticking out his hand.
“Pleasure, my lord. Are you here to spar, or have you finished?” George kept his other questions to himself. He did not want Lord Anley to know how often Lady Alice preoccupied his thoughts.
“Call me Anley. As a matter of fact, I was about to change. I was looking for someone up to my weight, and I’ll practice with you, if you’d like.” The marquess smiled, reminding George of Lady Alice in that stubborn tilt to his chin. She had said they were close.
“I’ll wait here.”
When Anley returned, George began throwing a few punches into the air as he warmed up. He couldn’t master his curiosity for long, however. “I assume Lady Alice has left London.”
Anley looked at him with an air of surprise. “You know about that, do you?”
George avoided Anley’s gaze. He had not wanted to reveal anything about whatever intimacy he shared with Lady Alice, but apparently, he had. “We are acquainted, although not close. We’ve spoken a few times.”
The marquess shook his head. “I would say you are something more than acquainted if you were aware of her imminent departure. As far as I knew, she told no one she was to leave, and she is not one to share anything of a personal nature. In fact, I cannot think of anyone she would do that with, apart from her friend, Cleda Langley—Bell, rather.”
George held his breath, hoping he had not made Anley suspicious. He wanted to begin courting Lady Alice, but he wanted to do it on her terms. With complete respect for what she wanted. He hoped he had not misspoken.
The marquess wound a band around his wrists and hands and pulled on his gloves. “As a matter of fact, my mother has taken a fall. It was raining when she was out paying morning calls with Alice, and she slipped and hurt her foot, as well as her hip, I believe. As such, she is unable to do anything for herself. So my sister, who had no desire to leave town at present, had a stroke of luck through my mother’s misfortune. She is to remain in London and take care of my mother.” Anley glanced at George, who was once again struck by how much the marquess resembled his sister. But in this case, it was the humor in his expressive eyes.
George threw a few more punches, not allowing his expression to reveal the joy that had sprung up. She is not leaving! Realizing he was not properly equipped to box, he grabbed his own gloves and pulled them on. “Then, it will be good to see her. Perhaps we shall meet tonight at the opera.”
Anley looked doubtful. “I am not sure she will be going to the opera—or anywhere else for the time being. She will have no one to accompany her.”
George cocked his head and studied the marquess. He would give anything to see Lady Alice tonight. “Why do you not accompany her?”
Anley shifted under George’s gaze. “I, uh, have plans of my own after the opera is over. I would not be able to take her home.”
George knew very well what plans Anley had, but their acquaintance was still too fresh for him to bring it up. What a shame he could not offer to take Lady Alice home himself after the opera, but it was impossible. Not at night with just the two of them. She would need a proper chaperone. Philippa had been poorly lately, and he could not beg her to accompany Lady Alice.
He put his fists up. “Ready?”
Anley beat his two gloved hands together once. “Ready.”
They spoke as they fought, but George did not pursue the topic of Mary Morgan. It would only invite a rebuff, and he did not want to suffer a setback in the progress he’d made in Anley’s confidence. If he was going to help him, he needed to advance cautiously. Besides, it was technically no business of his, apart from his desire to set Lady Alice’s mind at ease.
As they settled down to the serious business of sparring, their conversation ceased. Anley had picked up a few tricks since George had been away. He was a quick learner—except, apparently, when it came to matters of the heart.
That night at the opera, despite the fact that Anley had disillusioned him of the hope of seeing Lady Alice, George could not help but look out for her. He searched the crowds and reached the conclusion that she was indeed not there. He did cross paths with Mrs. Bell, and before he could think the better of the idea, he went over to greet her. The only evidence of her surprise was in the slight lift of a brow before she curtsied.
“Mrs. Bell, I hope this evening finds you well. Have you come with your husband?” George did not know what Mr. Bell looked like, but it would be odd if Mrs. Bell were alone, married though she was.
She smiled at him. “Yes, Mr. Bell is the gentleman just standing there. I left him talking to one of the MPs.”
George couldn’t think of anything to say next, and he stood there for a moment. He had not thought out what excuse he would give for having come to speak with her, only that he needed some connection to Lady Alice.
“I had offered to bring Lady Alice with me tonight,” Mrs. Bell said after a pause—throwing him the conversational bait, which he eagerly took.
“How is Lady Alice?” His face grew warm under the all-too-perceptive gaze of Mrs. Bell. “I understood she was to leave London, but now her brother tells me she is not traveling after all, due to an unfortunate accident.”
Mrs. Bell nodded, the glimmer of a smile in her eyes. “Most unfortunate. I would not wish such a painful fall on anyone. However, I am glad to have the company of my friend for the rest of the Season.” She paused just a little bit before adding, “And glad that she will not be sent away to where there would be nothing that could possibly amuse her.”
“I am glad as well,” George admitted, not caring if he was revealing feelings he normally kept hidden. Now that he had set his mind on attempting to win Lady Alice’s hand, he aimed to be victorious.
Nevertheless, it would do no good if she was in London and he could not see her. “So, if she is unable to be chaperoned, then she will not easily be able to visit others. Do you know if she accepts visitors at home?”
Mrs. Bell smiled broadly. “You’ve approached the right person, for I know exactly what Lady Alice’s schedule is. Her mother is unable to sit in on morning visits, but she does not wish to give the impression that she is too unwell to receive them. So Lady Alice receives the visits, chaperoned by her maid. Needless to say, since word is not out that she is at home, she has few.”
George absorbed this treasured information. “And at what hour might be a good time to pay Lady Alice a visit?”
“I believe you will find her at home tomorrow at two o’clock, should you wish to try.” Mrs. Bell dropped a small, graceful curtsy and turned to rejoin her husband, that faint smile still in her eyes.
It gave George hope. She knew more about Lady Alice than any of her other friends, and if Mrs. Bell was offering this information to him, she likely thought he had a chance. That Lady Alice had stated her intentions to remain single was daunting, but perhaps she’d had a change of heart. If he brought up his search for a wife again, she might reveal her interest. He could not know unless he attempted it.
The next day, at two o’clock, George presented himself at the Duke of Carr’s residence. It seemed to take forever for the butler to open the door, and a trickle of perspiration sent a chill down George’s spine. As he cared little about his own social standing, being plagued by nervousness was a foreign sensation.
At last, the butler admitted him and had him wait in the drawing room while he sent a message up to Lady Alice. This was already a promising beginning. Surely, the butler would not have let him in if George had no chance of seeing her. Still, he did not know what to do with himself while he waited. Should he sit? He paced, then stopped. He walked over to the window, but then thought it would be too forward to take ownership of the room in that manner, and he returned to the center. In a short while, Lady Alice entered the room, and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. Her smile reached her eyes.
“As you see, I have not left. How did you know?” She came forward, holding out her hand. He reached forward and lifted it to his lips, stopping only at the last moment and bowing over it. He was going to make a great gaffe if he was not careful.
“Your brother. I saw him at the boxing saloon. We sparred together; we’ve done so twice. But then I ran into Mrs. Bell last night, and she told me that I might try to visit you this afternoon. On that information, I came by.” Oh heavens, I’m rambling. As an afterthought, he added, “I am sorry to hear about your mother.”
“Please sit, sir.” Lady Alice gestured to the sofa and then sat at his side. “It would indeed be a sorry plight were it not for the fact that it is believed my mother will make a full recovery, and it has spared me from a very long trip I did not wish to take.”
Her maid had followed Lady Alice into the room, and she took a seat off to the side, giving them just enough privacy.
“I have been thinking about Miss Chauncey and Mr. Duckworth,” Lady Alice began. “I wish to do something about their situation, but it has been difficult for me to assist since I am not easily able to leave my house. But I have had time to think, and I’ve come up with a plan. I think perhaps you might be able to help put it into practice.”
George was enjoying looking at her face while she spoke. It was animated—more so than usual—although he would not take the credit for himself. It must be enthusiasm over helping Duck and Miss Chauncey, or relief at not being sent away. In Society, Lady Alice too often wore a closed expression like a mask.
He sprang to attention. She was waiting for him to respond. “Tell me, then. What can I do to help?”
A soft chuckle escaped her as she sent him a teasing glance. “Have you capitulated, then? You are supposed to say, ‘No, I will do nothing to help your cause. I wish to win my bet.’ Is that no longer the case?”
George shrugged and looked at his hands before lifting his eyes to meet her gaze. “I find that winning the bet is not worth having a friend who is miserable.”
Her look softened as their gaze held. “That is kind of you to say. It speaks well of you.”
The praise hit George’s chest, and the warmth settled there—until he heard her next words.
“I am thinking they should elope.”
He shot his gaze back at Lady Alice, speechless. He could not have heard her correctly.
She went on. “I know, I know. The most shocking thing in the world. Their reputation will never recover. And yet”—she leaned forward, suddenly intent—“she will make the biggest mistake of her life if she ties herself to Hicks when she loves Mr. Duckworth. Do you think he would be willing to go through something like a flight to the border? I wager that Miss Chauncey will.”
“Another wager,” George said, bemused. Once the initial shock of the scandalous proposition was over, his mind began turning around her idea. Duck wouldn’t care about that. George knew it. He would just want to win Miss Chauncey for himself, and by doing so, save her from a lifetime of misery.
“Not a wager, just a suspicion,” she replied. “If I am able to see Miss Chauncey and sound her out on the plan, could you propose the idea to Mr. Duckworth? Let us agree that Society rules are rigid and must be respected at all times. But at the beginning of our wager, we said no harm to any person, and those were the terms. And you must own that her marrying a man she cannot bear is a harm of no small proportion.”
George thought about this. “I will ask Duck. And if it’s something he wants to do, I will lend him my assistance.”
Lady Alice clapped her hands together. “Excellent. I have no doubt that this is the right course of action. We must waste no time in bringing it about.”
Sounds reached them from outside of the drawing room, and as reality intruded, George felt it was time to leave. Lady Alice’s company would not be the same with an audience. “I must be going,” he said, “but I hope to bring word soon on how Duck means to proceed.”
Lady Alice stood, and he followed suit. They remained facing each other for an instant, frozen, and she showed herself as reluctant as he was to draw their interview to a close.
“Yes, please do let me know,” she said, her gaze still on his.
The tug inside tempted him to move closer and remain there, reluctant to leave her presence. Perhaps that was what prompted his next question. He wasn’t sure what came over him—whether it was to tempt her, or to test her, or just to prolong their time together—but he rushed in without thinking.
“Have you found a woman you deem suitable to be my wife?”
As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. Lady Alice’s expression closed, and her gaze flitted away. “I have thought of some possible candidates,” she said after a slight pause. “But as our visit is at an end, you will have to come back to learn about them.”
If George could have physically beat himself for such a stupid remark, he would have done it. He meant to begin trying to win her heart—not make her think he was completely uninterested. He summoned a smile as he bowed. “I will look forward to coming back.”