Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

" W hat are you doing in here?"

Olivia glanced up from her book to see her mother standing in the doorway to the library fixing her with a disappointed stare.

"Mama, let me explain," Olivia began.

Her mother clucked her tongue. "We have no time for explanations," she replied. "The bouts are set to start any minute now, and Agatha is insisting we join her at the head table."

"But…"

"But you would not want to stay here and miss out on all the fun, would you?" Olivia cast a look of longing around the library, gazing at all the books and their stories she had yet to discover. But her behavior only drew a laugh from her mother who was not at all swayed. "Come," Mama insisted, offering Olivia her hand. "You may take solace in reading a good book before you turn in for the night. But for now, we must mingle with the other guests."

Obediently, Olivia placed the book she had been reading on the nearest end table and took her mother's proffered hand. She stood and ran her hands down the length of her dress, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"If I said I had already consorted enough with the company for the day, would you allow me to stay here?"

"Oh, my love, I wish that it could be that simple, but I must remind you that the sooner you settle on a husband, the sooner you may do whatever you please."

Olivia guffawed. "I do not think I will have so much freedom in my marriage. Will I not need to work to please my husband?"

"Perhaps," her mother replied before heaving a tremendous sigh. "But if you find love like I shared with your father, the marriage will not seem like work at all."

"I thought you told me just yesterday that I should not seek love but rather a husband who will be kind and trustworthy...and tolerable."

"Yes, yes," her mother said as she squeezed her fingertips lightly. "Kind and trustworthy…and tolerable." A small smile tickled her lips. "Those are the words of the day."

"Then, I have no idea why we are hurrying to watch a swordplay competition."

Mama giggled. "Because it is good fun. And if you can have fun with your marriage partner, that is a splendid bonus."

"Mama!" Olivia gasped. "I think some of the dowager's manners have rubbed off on you."

Taking a page right out of the Dowager Countess of Langford's book, Mama winked broadly and then giggled.

"Come along," Olivia said, taking charge of the situation and leading the way. "If you will not be the sensible one any longer, I see it is up to me to find my own match."

It did not take long for Olivia and her mother to reach the lawn or spot the dowager countess. She was seated underneath a large, white canopy, looking majestic as she sipped a glass of lemonade. As the ladies approached their host, Olivia was able to see more clearly those who were gathered around the dowager. She was overjoyed to spy Edith and her parents seated at the head table, but then her eyes fell upon Lord Frontershire, and she had to bite hard upon her tongue to stop herself from saying something harsh.

Remember…you promised to stay out of his way so long as he left you alone.

With that thought ringing in her head, Olivia let go of her mother's hand.

"What is wrong?" Mama asked.

"I…I am feeling parched." Olivia lifted a gloved hand and delicately laid it at the base of her throat. "I see that the dowager is sipping lemonade, and I think I will get a glass for myself before joining the others. Would you care for some refreshment, too?"

"I am perfectly adequate at present," her mother replied as her eyes flicked around the gathering. Olivia got the feeling she was surveying the crowd, looking for someone in particular. "Go ahead and collect your drink, but hurry back. There is someone I would like for you to meet."

Olivia made an effort to hang around the refreshment table until she heard the master call for those involved in the next bout to come forward. She watched as Lord Frontershire finished his conversation with Edith's father, Viscount Gilwood, and then Olivia determined she was safe to move forward and join her friends. She reached the spot just in time to hear Lord Frontershire say something that took her wholly by surprise.

Right before he excused himself, he reached for Edith's hand. Lifting it high, he used his free hand to cover his heart then he pledged, "I will win this tournament for you, Miss Templeton."

Edith's eyes lit with excitement. "Truly?"

"Upon my honor," Lord Frontershire returned. "If I should suffer a single touch by one of my competitors, I will be heartily ashamed."

Olivia was irritated by this display, but once again, she clamped her jaw tight, willing herself not to overstep and violate the peace she and Lord Frontershire had just agreed to foster. And besides, Edith seemed delighted by the special attention she received from the marquess. Her father, at her side, was also beaming proudly.

"Very well, my lord," he said, clapping Lord Frontershire on the shoulder. "Go and win this bout and the next. We shall cheer for you here."

"It shall be done," Lord Frontershire said before bowing to Viscount Gilwood and stalking away.

Pompous…insufferable…and…

"Darling!"

Olivia cringed when she heard the dowager countess trill because she knew, instinctively, that she was being summoned.

"Yes, Ma'am?" Olivia asked as she turned to find that her suspicions were right. The dowager was looking directly at her. Olivia's mother was seated beside her friend, and the two were smiling gleefully.

"Do join us," the dowager countess effused. "I should like to introduce you to this gentleman."

Clutching her glass of lemonade a smidge tighter, Olivia fixed a smile on her face then strode forward to answer the summons. As she got nearer, her eyes fell upon someone she did not recognize, nor did she recollect encountering yesterday afternoon.

"May I present Lord Ridgewell," the dowager said as a handsome man rose to his feet and bowed courteously. He had blonde hair that was combed in a fashionable style, and he wore an exuberant smile upon his face.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord." Olivia dipped into a curtsey.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lady Olivia," he returned. "Your auntie has told me a great deal about you and…"

"The dowager countess is not my aunt," Olivia could not help but interject.

"Ah yes," Lord Ridgewell replied while continuing to smile joyfully at her, "that might be true. The two of you are not relatives. But it is my understanding that this week, she likes to think of us all as her nearest and dearest. And who are we to upset our host?"

"Perhaps you are right," Olivia said as Lord Ridgewell stepped aside and offered her the chair next to him. She slid into place, and he, in a very gentlemanly manner, helped her to scoot nearer to the table. "We must respect the wishes of our host."

Lord Ridgewell dropped once more into his own seat then leaned forward and whispered, "The dowager was just telling me that you were hiding out in the library."

"I… I was not hiding," Olivia protested.

"No, no," Lord Ridgewell said as, remarkably, his grin grew broader. "I only brought it up because I wished for you to tell me what you were reading." His light eyes flickered with joy. "I too have a deep love and appreciation for the written word, and had the dowager not urged me to come join in the fencing, I should be sitting underneath that tree over there, doing my own bit of light reading."

He rummaged around in the breast pocket of his jacket before withdrawing a slender, leather-bound book.

"If the swordplay should prove unsatisfactory, might you consent to join me underneath that tree?"