BY TEATIME THE NEXT day, Monty still hadn’t appeared and Vanessa was ready to laugh at herself. She’d come down for breakfast feeling excited. The man had to eat, after all. At lunchtime she’d gotten to the dining room early, again, with that underlying excitement that she would be seeing him. But she’d pushed aside her disappointment and reasoned that unless he’d abandoned his charge, which wasn’t likely, he was still in the house and she would see him eventually.
Kathleen had shrugged off his failing to join them for the midday meal with the sage remark, “The aftereffects of strong drink can turn an otherwise charming fellow into a growling bear. We shall be grateful he is sparing us a demonstration.”
And perhaps that’s all it was, so Vanessa didn’t let herself look forward to seeing him that night before dinner, and yet when she came around the corner to go downstairs, there he was in the main hall heading to the parlor, and she felt a little fluttering in her belly and gripped the handrail tightly.
“Sneaking downstairs for another bottle of brandy?” she queried in the most casual tone she could muster.
He turned and waited for her to finish her descent. “Why would you think so?”
“Didn’t you get foxed last night, which required you to sleep the day away?”
He laughed. “No to both charges. I did enjoy a single glass of brandy last night and wondered who I should thank for it.”
“That would be Charley.”
“The nuisance can be thoughtful? Imagine that.”
“So you went to town again today?”
“No, just scouting around the property. Your family really does own an extensive amount of land here. An army could camp on it and go unnoticed.”
“I thought you were certain no one followed us here.”
“I was, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t still searching for me and the boy. At any rate, after doing my due diligence I found myself famished for the sight of you.”
“Rubbish.”
“Very well, merely eager,” he said, then in a whisper when she stopped a foot away, “I apologize for missing your dancing lesson. I didn’t think I could be in the same room with your mother and not lambaste her for arranging such a marriage for you.”
Really? But it was a pretty good excuse—if it was true. “Such a marriage? There are different kinds?”
“Indeed, if one is to the younger Rathban. He’s not for you, Nessi. He’ll crush your spirit.”
She supposed boredom might do that if the groom was still a shy fellow, but she could find other amusements. She smiled. “I think I can protect my spirit.”
“So you don’t even know what sort of chap he is?”
“Yes, a socially awkward introvert.”
“This isn’t an amusing subject, so don’t treat it so lightly. He’s a rake of the worst sort. I could have sworn you said you wouldn’t marry one.”
A rake? Had the boy outgrown his shyness and timidity? She supposed he could be paying for a lot of sex to get that designation, offering coin instead of personality—if it were true.
Monty seemed to think it was. There was such accusation in his tone and expression, but she couldn’t exactly tell him what she would gain from the marriage, so she said, “Well, that explains why you would offer condolences. But what d’you mean by ‘worst’?”
“Dissolute, without conscience—and what about your rule of not marrying a rake? There were exceptions you neglected to mention?”
“It doesn’t matter what Rathban is, when other things might be more important to me.”
“You confound me. You can’t want his title when you’re already a lady, and you appear not to need his money.”
It was annoyingly apparent that he wasn’t going to bury this bone, so she assured him, “Emily spoke out of turn. The engagement might have been arranged by our parents, but it’s not a certainty yet when Albert’s son doesn’t even know about it.”
“Then he hasn’t agreed?”
“As far as I know, my name hasn’t even been mentioned to him yet.”
He smiled. “That’s different. He’ll never agree.”
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to hit him or let that bloody bone stay buried. Was the man so dense he didn’t even realize how thoroughly he’d just insulted her? But she continued to the parlor to join her family. Monty could go back to his reconnaissance of the property for all she cared.
He didn’t, nor was he questioned about his absence from so many recent meals when he joined her family in the parlor. The twins might have inquired if Kathleen weren’t present, but she was and would consider it rude of them to do so. And the conversation stayed utterly neutral, which, as was typically the case, meant boring enough to ignore.
And so it continued through half the meal as well, after they’d adjourned to the dining room. Dancing was mentioned and Monty confirmed that he was still willing to give a few lessons. Vanessa kept her eyes off him as she pondered the challenge before her. Had Kathleen deceived her or did she just not know what sort of man the shy boy had turned into? And how did one woo a dissolute rake? With Monty it would have been easy, since he was mostly harmless in his rakishness, an outrageous flirt, but too amusing about it to ask him to desist. It wasn’t going to be that easy with Daniel Rathban, yet she still had to try.
But she did hear Kathleen say her name. “Vanessa, you won’t feel like dancing if you eat too much.”
The twins giggled. Vanessa stared at her nearly empty plate. She could have simply agreed with her mother, though it was rather late to do that since she already felt full, but no matter how innocuously her mother had couched it, she’d still rebuked her, and Vanessa couldn’t help reacting to it.
“I know very well I’m supposed to eat like a puny chicken, Mother—at formal gatherings. But here in the country we’re among friends and family, and I have a normal appetite I’m not ashamed of.”
Emily started to applaud. That drew such a cold look from Kathleen that Vanessa rescued her sister, adding, “But thank you for the reminder, Mother. I suppose I should get in the habit of eating more sparingly with the Season soon upon us.”
Charley broke the tense moment with the question, “When is the commencement of this Season I keep hearing about?”
“It’s already begun, though not officially yet,” Layla said.
“It follows the sessions of Parliament because that is when so many lords are in London with their families,” Emily added.
“There is no exact date,” Kathleen said. “Early in May can be considered the official start, but a few invitations have already trickled in, even here in the country, so we shall be leaving for London by the end of next week.”
“I am devastated,” Charley confessed.
The boy actually did look crestfallen, which had Kathleen assure him, “You can, of course, come to London with us. Or you can remain here in seclusion. Either of my houses will be at your disposal for however long you require them.”
Vanessa stood up and feigned a light laugh. “I believe I’ve had enough food. I will await the rest of you in the music room.”
She didn’t like being reminded yet again that she would be parting company with Monty so soon. She should have known. Father had warned her that Kathleen favored London in May. It’s why she had left Scotland in early April, so she would have plenty of time to get to Cheshire before Kathleen and the twins left. And hadn’t she already expected to part with her companions while they were still on the road? But they hadn’t parted. Monty and Charley had come here instead, and she somehow had thought that would give her a lot more time with her new friends.
She was feeling as downhearted as Charley, so it took a moment for her to grasp Monty’s remark behind her. “I don’t think George knew that our hostess would be deserting us when he arranged our sojourn here.”
She turned, saw his half smile, and had the ridiculous urge to run to him and put her arms around him, but it was gone the instant her mother came into the music room behind him. Kathleen apparently hadn’t heard him, because she moved to one of the padded chairs set up in front of the piano and harp without comment, and Charley joined her there.
When the twins came in, arm in arm, they moved to their favored instruments, the piano and the harp that were the focus of the room. There were a dozen chairs in the room, too, for musical entertainment after the dinner parties Kathleen often arranged for her neighbors and friends in town. The girls hadn’t usually been invited to the table, young as they’d been, but their mother had often shown them off to her guests by asking them to play afterward.
Vanessa had favored the piano and hadn’t realized that Layla did, too, because it was against Layla’s nature to fight for a choice. She apparently got that choice after Vanessa had deserted them. Emily checked the strings of her harp, plucking a few of them. Monty moved to the empty space on the left side of the room and held out a hand to Vanessa for her to join him there.
She started to, but as soon as the twins started playing, she paused, tears came to her eyes, and she smiled widely at her sisters. They were playing her song!
Monty noticed her reaction and approached to lead her to the space that served as a small dance floor. “A favorite song?” he guessed.
She smiled. “I suppose it is, but this one I actually composed.”
“An accomplishment I wouldn’t have expected!”
“You don’t have to look so bloody surprised,” she admonished playfully. “But I didn’t expect it, either. Composing music wasn’t exactly part of our curriculum here. Our music teacher merely asked if any of us were interested in learning about composition. The twins didn’t want to, but I thought it might be fun and gave it a try. Keep in mind, I was barely twelve at the time.”
“Which makes it even more impressive.”
She grinned. “There are many things about me that you don’t know.”
“What an intriguing remark. Your melody is lovely. Shall we put it to good use?”
But the music suddenly stopped, and she couldn’t help laughing. “I’m afraid that’s as far as I got. I never did finish the composition.”
“Which doesn’t mean you can’t.”
“Some day,” she agreed.
He had moved her into position, placing her hands where they needed to be, one on his shoulder, one lightly touching his extended hand, then placed his other hand on her waist, which sent a tingle of excitement through her. “My sisters didn’t learn the waltz for their come-outs,” he said, “though I’m sure they have by now. The cotillion was still popular when they came of age, a much more lively country dance embraced by the ton. But the waltz is now quite fashionable, even if it still has detractors among the old guard. Close contact and all that rot, not that we’re going to do that, mind you—more’s the pity! However, George likes the waltz, and what George likes . . .”
She managed not to laugh over his “more’s the pity,” and asked, “Do many people call the Prince Regent by his first name?”
“You’re assuming I’m referring to the Prince?”
“Don’t pretend you aren’t.”
The twins started another song, and he said, “Follow me,” and she concentrated on not stepping on one of his feet for a moment until she heard, “You’ve coiffed your hair and you’re wearing proper shoes, I suppose I must ask for kisses first now that you’ve so perfectly donned the lady?” and she stepped on his foot.
She didn’t apologize for the misstep, she instead gave him a coy look. “You’re reneging on our bet not to mention kissing, but would you really want to risk a no?”
“Does that mean . . . ?”
She grinned. “You’ll just have to find out.”
“Tease! You’re just looking for a reason to punch me again.”
“Now that might be true—especially if you aren’t taking this lesson seriously.”
“I’ll concede—for now.”
She got the hang of it pretty quickly when he made it so easy to follow his lead, but she pretended not to and stepped on his feet a few more times. She simply didn’t want the dance lesson to end. And she definitely got his point about the close contact being frowned upon by the old guard, not that their bodies touched, but being even a foot apart from Monty when he was holding her hand and had his other hand on her waist was quite titillating. How the devil could one man excite her so much when he wasn’t even trying?
And then Charley insisted on taking a twirl with Layla, while Kathleen took over for her at the piano. Emily got a turn and was giggling at Charley’s blandishments. The mood in the room had turned quite festive. Even Kathleen seemed to be having fun. Vanessa was happy dancing with Monty and seeing her sisters and mother so gay, but she still felt a bittersweet pang. The evening would have been perfect if her father were there.