Balancing at the edge of the sofa, Athena waited for her four-year-old niece, Lilly, to make her next move.
“Come on,” Lilly’s older brother, Lucas, said. “You’re taking forever.”
“It’s hard,” Lilly said. She stared at the low stool she was meant to get onto next. “My legs are too short.”
Athena had deliberately placed the furniture with this in mind. She knew Lilly could make the jump with ease, but after misjudging the distance between two stone benches in Hyde Park a few weeks earlier, the girl was fearful of falling and getting hurt once more. Sympathizing, Athena grabbed a throw cushion and tossed it onto the floor. It landed between Lilly’s chair and the stool.
Lucas jerked toward her with a glare. “That’s cheating.”
“Would you rather your sister be eaten by crocodiles?” Athena asked. Lilly hopped down onto the cushion, freeing up the chair so Athena could move forward.
“No,” Lucas grumbled. “But she could have made that jump. And now she’s about to grab the treasure.”
“Unless you’re able to reach it first,” Athena told him slyly.
“Not possible,” Lilly said with confidence.
“What did I say at the very beginning,” Athena asked, “when you insisted there were no crocodiles in England?”
“To use our imagination,” Lucas said. His eyes suddenly widened. He seemed to study his surroundings with greater care. A grin widened his mouth as he eyed the folded blanket hanging over the back of the loveseat. “I’m making a bridge.”
“You can’t,” Lilly said. She turned to Athena. “Can he?”
“I can’t very well stop him after I made an island pop out of nowhere for you.”
“I’d rather play hide and go seek,” Lilly grumbled. She crossed her arms and pouted while her brother triumphantly claimed the biscuit tin at the center of the room.
“We can do that next,” Athena said. “After you have survived the pit of doom.”
Lilly blew out a breath and leapt across to where her brother stood. Athena jumped forward as well, landing on the stool as the door to the parlor swung open.
“What on earth is going on in here?” Athena’s mother, Viscountess Roxley, asked. Mouth agape, she stared at Athena. As it turned out, she was not alone. The rest of the house party stood immediately behind her.
“Playing,” Athena told the assembled group. She and her entire family had been invited to spend the second two weeks of December at the Marquess and Marchioness of Foxborough’s estate. The Foxboroughs’s daughter, Abigail, had married Athena’s brother James three years prior.
“That is what one does in the nursery, Athena. Not,” her mother informed her, “in the parlor belonging to one’s host and hostess.”
“I’m sorry,” Athena said, “but the nursery furniture isn’t very conducive to jungle adventures.”
“It’s quite all right,” Lady Foxborough said with a slight frown. “I’m sure we can put the room to rights quickly enough if we all lend a hand.”
“William,” Athena’s oldest brother, Charles, told their sibling. “Help me move the sofa, would you?”
Athena hopped off the stool and picked up the blanket Lucas had used as a bridge. She proceeded to fold it.
“Do we still get our biscuits?” Lucas asked while hugging the tin.
“Yes,” Athena assured him, “but you may have to share with a lot more people now. Unless you make a hasty escape.”
Lucas gave the doorway a quick glance, then grabbed his sister’s hand and promptly took off, with Lilly tripping and squealing behind him.
“Honestly,” Athena’s mother sighed. “Could you not try to set a better example for them?”
Athena shrugged. “They can learn about rules and decorum from everyone else. From me, however, they shall learn how to have fun.”
“Which is why we left them in your care in the first place,” Charles’s wife, Bethany, told Athena with a twinkle in her eyes.
“And we have every intention of doing the same with Benedict once he’s old enough,” Abigail said. “So I hope this won’t be the only time we’re tidying up this room.”
Athena shared a look with her mother. The lady’s features softened until she allowed a smile. Athena knew she’d only chided her because she believed it was her responsibility to do so, not because she actually minded the ruckus. If anything, Lord and Lady Roxley both welcomed the boisterousness their grandchildren provided. As they put it, it made them feel young again. But they were very aware that this was not a view shared by all since most members of the upper class preferred to have their children hidden away and cared for by governesses.
“Hopefully, the weather tomorrow will be clear so we can get the children outside,” Charles said once all the furniture had been put back in its proper spot and everyone comfortably seated. “A long walk and some fresh air would be wonderful for them.”
A maid arrived with a tray, allowing tea to be served. Athena took a soothing sip while the conversation ensued around her. She loved that they’d all been gathered in this way. With her sister, Sarah, married off to the Duke of Brunswick in October, she’d experienced a void in her life she’d not been prepared for. All too often, she found herself reflecting on how things used to be before her siblings had moved out of Townsbridge House. There had been laughter and love, constant chatter, footsteps moving across the floors, the sound of games being played.
Now there was too much silence, and Athena longed to escape it, to carve out moments for herself in which she could recreate what she missed. Only there was no going back, just forward, and the future that spanned before her looked mighty lonely.
Of course, the solution would be to marry and have a hoard of children of her own. The only problem with this was that she wasn’t sure she’d ever make a match for herself, as evidenced by her lack of suitors. No man wanted to touch a woman as daring or unpredictable as she. They couldn’t accept the scandal she’d caused at the age of fourteen when she’d stood up in church and informed everyone that Bethany loved Charles rather than the man she’d been in the process of marrying.
Mayhem had ensued and Athena’s reputation had suffered irreparable damage. But, she mused, she would do the same thing again in a heartbeat. For if there was one thing she could not abide, it was the idea of people sacrificing their happiness for fear of causing a scandal. As far as she was concerned, there was only one life, one chance to get it all right. Why waste that on making oneself deliberately miserable for the sole purpose of appeasing others?
“We have the holiday dance at the assembly hall of course, but if you like we could arrange a ball here as well,” Lady Foxborough said, snapping Athena out of her reverie. “There are a few families in the area we could invite. A couple even have young men of marriageable age.”
“Really?” Athena’s mother murmured with far too much interest for Athena’s liking.
“Plotting the next match already?” Athena’s father asked with the resignation of a man who’d long since realized there was no point in trying to dissuade his wife from her goals. “You don’t waste any time, do you, dear?”
“I see no reason to,” Athena’s mother said.
“How about the fact that Sarah was allowed to wait until she was two-and-twenty before she married?” Athena asked. In truth, she wouldn’t mind finding a man with whom she could fall in love sooner rather than later, she simply didn’t believe it was likely to happen and had no desire to suffer the torture of being paraded about. “I should be permitted to do the same.”
“All things considered, I think it would be best if we began showing you off to your best advantage as soon as possible,” her mother argued. “You’ve many excellent qualities, Athena. I’d like to remind people of that so they can start viewing you in a different light.”
In other words, her mother expected her road to the altar to be a lengthy one involving a shift in public opinion. No time to waste then. She allowed herself an inward groan and took another sip of her tea.
“Mama has the right of it,” William said. “And a ball would be a great deal of fun.”
“There’s just one catch,” Lord Foxborough said, cutting a stern look at his wife. “Protocol would require us to invite the Marquess of Darlington, and I’m not sure how any of you would feel about that.”
Athena’s hand shook in response to the name. Hot tea fell against her thigh. Robert Carlisle had been the Earl of Langdon when she’d last seen him. Although things had ended badly between them, she’d been sorry to hear of his father’s passing. Athena darted a look in Charles’s direction. He and Bethany had both gone utterly still.
“I forgot he had property in this area,” Athena’s father finally said.
“I’ve not spoken to him in six years. Not since I left him at that inn where I found him after…” Charles cleared his throat and clasped his wife’s hand.
Athena returned her teacup to its saucer with a clatter. “I should like a chance to apologize to him.”
“No.” The word was unanimously spoken by her parents and siblings alike.
“But—”
“Darlington was furious after what happened.” Charles’s voice was strained with regret. “He made it very clear to me there was nothing more to be said between us.”
“Nevertheless, I would like a chance to explain myself to him directly.” What she was truly after was his forgiveness. Darlington had been Charles’s friend. She’d known him most of her life and while he’d been wrong for Bethany, she could not deny the guilt she still felt over how she’d upended his life. “It would mean a great deal.”
“I’m sorry,” Charles said. A brief silence followed before he confessed. “I made repeated attempts to apologize to him on all our behalves. I wrote him letters, Athena, and he responded once, in a manner I cannot repeat with ladies present. His words were extremely harsh, especially those directed at you. And while I’ve no doubt he was foxed beyond reason when he penned the missive, I cannot excuse such behavior.”
“Not even when we are the ones who drove him to it?” Athena asked. She held Charles’s gaze. “Out of everyone who has criticized me over the years for the part I played in your marriage to Bethany, he is the one with the most right.”
“You’re not wrong,” Athena’s father said, “but there are instances when it is wisest to leave the past alone and move on. It is my opinion that this is such an instance. Our goal right now is to see you settled, not to ruin your chances further by reminding everyone of what happened, and yes, they will be reminded the moment they see you and Darlington in the same room.”
“So then I gather we ought to avoid a ball?” Lady Foxborough asked.
“What about the dance at the assembly hall?” Bethany asked. “Is there any chance Darlington might show up there?”
“No,” Lady Foxborough said. “The marquess, as I understand it, does not go out at all.”
“So then?” Athena prompted. “Why not invite him if you know he’ll stay away.”
“I fear he would not.” Lady Foxborough reached for her teacup while Athena tried to make sense of what she was being told. “The assembly hall functions are free from obligation, but if we, the Marquess and Marchioness of Foxborough, were to ask another peer to join us for a formal event, I believe he would feel duty-bound to attend, so as not to cause offense.”
Athena sank back against the sofa with a sigh. What foolish nonsense. The Foxboroughs could not host a ball because to do so they would have to invite a man who did not wish to attend but would have to do so simply for the sake of appeasing a group of people who did not want him there. Once again, she was reminded of how ridiculous Society was.
She glanced at the beveled glass windows, wet with rain. For six years she’d dreamed of running into Darlington, of voicing her regrets and wishing him well. In all her imaginings, he’d refuse to listen at first, but would relent when she persisted. Eventually, he’d tell her he understood, that it was all right, and that what had happened was for the best.
The only problem was, the marquess had cut all ties with her family and remained absent from Town. She’d had no chance to approach him – no opportunity to make amends. Until now.
Her pulse quickened. She wondered how far away his estate might be. If the Foxboroughs felt they had to invite him to an evening affair in the winter, he must be quite close – at least within an hour’s drive by carriage. Pressing her lips together, she considered those around her. None would provide her with the directions she required.
Perhaps it was just as well. Athena picked up a biscuit and bit into it with a sigh. She knew herself well enough to realize it was probably a foolish idea – the sort of idea best scrapped before it fully formed and began to grow roots in her brain.
But when she got up the following morning after a restless night of contemplation, she accepted what had to be done. If she was to find true happiness, she would have to make peace with the man she’d hurt. It was the only way forward.
Resolved, she called for her maid to help her dress. “I need to know how to get to the Marquess of Darlington’s estate. Can you please find out for me, Mary?”
The maid was silent a moment before she said, “Of course, miss, but if you’re thinking of going there, I ought to caution you against it.”
“Duly noted,” Athena said.
“It really wouldn’t be wise.”
“You’re probably right, but it’s one of those things I cannot not do.”
Mary finished fastening the back of Athena’s gown. “Very well, but at least allow me to accompany you.”
“Thank you, but you must stay here and cover for me. I’ll be as quick as I can. I promise.” It took a few more added pleas to acquire Mary’s full cooperation, upon which Athena went to breakfast with her family.
“It’s still cloudy, but at least the rain has stopped,” Abigail said. “We could take a walk to the village and shop for Christmas gifts. I’m sure Lilly and Lucas would love the chance to purchase a few things for their parents with their aunts’ and uncles’ help.”
“An excellent idea,” James said with a loving smile aimed at his wife.
Everyone else agreed.
“There’s an excellent tea shop where we can stop for pie,” Lady Foxborough said. “It’s the perfect place for us to warm up with refreshments.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Athena said, deliberately softening her voice to a weaker tone than usual, “but I am hoping I can be excused.”
“Excused?” Her mother gave her a baffled look. “You love fresh air and long walks, not to mention the chance to chase your niece and nephew along a country road.”
“True.” Indeed, she would miss that part a great deal. “Unfortunately, I woke with a terrible headache. I think I would be better off staying here and getting some rest.”
“Oh.” Her mother glanced about as if unsure of what else to say, except, “Of course.”
One hour later, Athena watched from her bedchamber window as her family set off on their walk. Bundled up with hats, scarves, and mittens, Lilly and Lucas skipped ahead until they reached the large stones at the edge of the driveway. Athena smiled when they scampered up onto them, and Charles hurried over to give them a hand for support.
Stepping back, she went to her wardrobe and sought out her breeches. She always wore them under her skirts when she went outside in the winter. They added an extra layer of warmth she’d never been able to garner from stockings alone. And since she favored riding astride over using a sidesaddle, they also helped avoid chafing.
Donning a heavy wool cloak and gloves, Athena listened to Mary while she told her how to reach Lord Darlington’s estate, then went to the stables and picked out a horse. Ten minutes later, she was galloping across the fields, determined to accomplish her task before anyone realized she’d even been gone.
Robert Carlisle, once the Earl of Langdon, now the Marquess of Darlington, stared at the numbers he’d tallied and smiled. Finally. After six long years of hard work, the investments he’d made were starting to turn a profit. Closing the ledger, he sank back in his armchair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Lord, he was tired, but it seemed his dedication had paid off.
Rising, he went to pour himself a brandy. It wasn’t even noon yet, but damn if a celebration of sorts wasn’t in order. The liquid trickled into his tumbler with a rippling effect that tempted him as much as the brandy’s golden color. Warmth seeped into his veins as he drank, instilling a calm he’d not known in ages.
His life, some might say, had been blessed with privilege. Most would raise their eyebrows at him if he spoke a single complaint. After all, there were men who were far worse off. This was indisputable. And yet, he did not think himself blessed with good fortune. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Robert took another blissful sip of his drink.
First, his fiancée, Charlotte Walker, had run off with his cousin. A few years later, his good friend Charles Townsbridge – nay, Charles’s sister, Athena – had broken up his wedding at the church in front of all creation, claiming his bride loved Charles instead. And then, when Robert’s life was finally starting to gain a bit of equilibrium again, his father had died, leaving behind a crushing amount of debt. His own financial situation at the time had not been the best, so the last thing he’d needed was more worry.
At least his financial troubles were starting to ease a little. As for the rest…
According to what he’d learned, Charlotte was desperately unhappy with a husband who liked to drown himself in a bottle of brandy each evening. Robert couldn’t say he was sorry to hear it. She’d treated him abominably.
Charles Townsbridge, on the other hand, was happily married. And while Robert didn’t exactly harbor ill will toward him or his wife, Bethany, a part of him envied the perfect life they’d made for themselves. It really wasn’t fair that he, who’d been wronged, had suffered the most.
Crossing to the window, he glanced out at the dreary landscape, at the leafless branches reaching toward the sky as if begging for spring to dress them. Bethany should have been his. He’d met her first, proposed, and gained her hand. Hell, he’d stood with her before the priest on the very cusp of making her his when Athena, that blasted hoyden of a child, had ruined it all. She might have meant well, but that didn’t change the fact that she’d made a mockery of him. The articles and caricatures he’d seen in the papers for several weeks after confirmed it. No experience had ever been more emasculating. Fresh on the heels of Charlotte’s betrayal, the situation had been insufferable to say the least.
Robert blew out his breath and forced an inner calm upon himself. This was all in the past. Six years lay between the man he’d been then and the one he was now. He’d come to terms with what had happened, had finally moved on.
Perhaps, he considered while watching a cluster of birds scatter across the greying sky, it was time to start thinking of marriage once more. A nerve ticked in his jaw at the thought. Very well. Perhaps he’d wait a while yet.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Enter!” Robert turned to face his butler with the impatience of a man who wished to be left alone. “Yes?”
“You have a visitor, my lord,” Dartwood said in an even tone. He raised his chin ever so slightly, then added, “She says her name is Miss Athena Townsbridge.”
Robert’s grip tightened on his glass. Every muscle in his shoulders and back knotted in defiance. His jaw clenched. What the hell was she doing here?
“Offer her some refreshments. Then send her on her way.” He turned his back on Dartwood. “Let me know when she’s gone.”
“Very well, my lord.” The door closed with a snick.
Robert closed his eyes and forced himself to exhale a slow breath. Between the burden of holding onto his properties, taking care of his tenants, and figuring out how to pay the taxes and his servants’ wages, the very last thing he needed was for that Townsbridge brat to show up and complicate things even further. Good God! He inhaled slowly – deep calming breaths to undo the tension and infuse some calm – and exhaled.
Athena had been what, three years of age the first time he’d met her? He’d been thirteen. It had been summer and Charles had invited him home to visit his family for the holidays. Robert had joined Charles on several similar occasions in the years that followed. He remembered Athena whispering secrets in her older sister, Sarah’s, ear. She’d balanced along the top of the property fence when she was eleven. One day, she’d arrived for supper covered in mud because of a tumble she’d taken. At twelve she’d harpooned a fish using a spear she’d whittled. Her triumphant smile from that long ago day was still branded in his mind.
He shook his head. Athena Townsbridge was a tempestuous handful, as evidenced by her lack of regard for propriety. Bethany and Charles are in love with each other, but they are prepared to sacrifice their happiness for you. Her words had been loud and clear, unwaveringly bold. He couldn’t remember much from the moments that followed, except for her face, her mouth set in a firm line, eyes blazing with fierce determination.
And then he’d punched Charles, because he sure as hell couldn’t punch Athena.
Another knock sounded at the door.
“Yes?”
“My apologies, my lord,” Dartwood said, “but the lady refuses to leave without having met with you first.”
Damn.
Robert downed the rest of his drink and set his tumbler aside with a clank. “Have her make an appointment then, for the day after never.”
Dartwood made a choked sort of sound. Robert raised an eyebrow.
“I shall pass the message along,” Dartwood said and departed once more. He returned ten minutes later looking more perplexed than Robert had ever seen him. “My lord. It would appear that the lady refuses to budge.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She will not leave her chair.”
“Oh, for God’s sake.”
“Shall I ask the footmen to carry her outside?”
Robert scrubbed his palm across his brow. Why couldn’t his life be simple and free from complications? Why did Athena Townsbridge, of all women in the entire world, have to be the very one who decided to pay him a visit?
Aware of the awkward position she’d placed his butler in and somewhat vexed on Dartwood’s behalf, Robert straightened his spine and squared his shoulders. Fine. He’d deal with the impossible chit himself.
Striding past his butler, Robert entered the hallway and made his way toward the parlor at a clipped pace. So, Athena thought she could force him to listen to her, did she? She thought she could bully his servants into compliance? After everything she’d put him through, she had some bloody nerve. He muttered a curse. If only he had a secretary and a valet to help make her leave, but the recent state of his finances had unfortunately forced him to be frugal.
Arriving at the door he sought, he flung it open with such force he heard the wood crack. “Christ almighty,” he blurted in pure frustration, “your childish behavior is not to be borne.”
“It is good to see you too, Robert.” Athena rose from her seat like a queen about to bestow a knighthood upon her loyal subject.
She was different than how he remembered.
Robert’s muscles flexed. He blinked.
When he’d last seen her she’d been a child – a bratty hoyden who ran completely wild. That was how he remembered her. It was the image he had retained inside his head for six years whenever he’d thought of her. He hardly knew what to say. Apparently, the plain girl he’d once known had transformed into a beautiful young lady.
Irritation flared. It was just like her to come here like this and shock the hell out of him. He glanced around. “Where is your chaperone?”
“I chose not to bring one.”
Of course. She was just as mad as ever.
“I believe my butler told you to leave.” Robert winced in response to the harsh sound of his voice and the rudeness with which he’d spoken, but frankly, he felt like his head was on backward right now.
“He did.”
“And rather than heed him, you chose to set up camp with the same degree of stubbornness you’ve always applied to everything.” He snorted. “By God, you haven’t changed one bit, have you?” Only in appearance.
Athena raised her chin. “I like to think I’ve grown up.”
Robert stared at her.
Gone were the chubby facial features of her adolescence, replaced by high cheekbones and a delicate jawline. The shapeless figure he recalled her having, not dissimilar to that of a boy, had been exchanged with luscious curves – with hips that flared out from her waist, and breasts… Good God. Athena Townsbridge had breasts – a most generous pair – and he was now gaping at them as if he’d never seen such an anatomical feature before.
He sucked in a breath and forced himself to raise his gaze to the vicinity of her eyes. This was wrong. So very horribly wrong. He’d accused her of being childish, but there was nothing remotely childish about her anymore. She was a woman – a very attractive one at that. He had to get her out of his house at once.
“So you have. Apparently without improving your manners.” Lord help him, he’d be ready for Bedlam after this visit. Especially if she continued watching him as she did, from behind a curtain of thick black lashes, eyes bright with vitality. Her rosy lips curved ever so gently into the sort of cheeky devil-may-care smirk he feared would haunt his dreams later. Christ have mercy. He steeled himself. “Once again, you have chosen to ignore my wishes.”
“Only because I desire to speak with you,” she said. “Or was that part not clear?”
Her voice was no longer as squeaky as he remembered, but rather soft and… Robert struggled to find the right word and could only come up with sultry. Which did not bode well at all. Annoyed with her for disturbing his peace and with himself for noticing her feminine assets, he gestured toward her with impatience. “Go on then. Say your piece, if you must, so I can get back to work.”