Chapter Twenty

Lavender wasn't used to acting on impulse, without forethought. She understood the merit in thinking quickly on the spot and usually it worked out in her favor. But charging headfirst into a decision without thinking about it at all was not something she was accustomed to doing.

So the fact that her carriage was pulling up to Austin's townhouse, barely within proper visiting hours, felt a little surreal. The thought had crossed her mind the moment she'd opened her eyes this morning and Lavender hadn't thought twice about going through it with. She hadn't even eaten breakfast. Simply climbed out of bed, gotten ready, and made haste for Austin's home.

Now that she was here, she realized that she might have been a little too hasty. He said that he would come to call on her, after all. She should be waiting for him to follow through with it, not the other way around. What if he was already on his way to see her and they had missed each other?

The thought brought a smile to her face. She doubted it. Austin didn't strike her as the type to wake before noon.

There was still so much she didn't know about him, so many layers to be peeled away before the real Austin was revealed. Excitement unfurled within her as she climbed out of the carriage. It abated when she realized that her carriage was not the only one present.

He had guests? The surly, unsociable Earl of Derby had guests ?

Lavender simply stood and stared in shock. It didn't seem possible but the carriages bore no crests, while she knew his bore the crest of the earldom. Did it mean that someone else had come to visit him, or perhaps was the carriage waiting to take Austin somewhere?

Lavender made her way to the front door, needing to know for herself. Before long, the anxious butler opened the door for her and all but broke out in cold sweat when he saw who stood before him .

"Good morning," she greeted politely. "I am here to see Lord Derby."

"Ah, I see." He glanced behind him, uncertain. "Lord Derby is preoccupied at the—"

"Are you going to turn me away?" Lavender asked in a firm yet innocent tone. "How odd, considering within a matter of months I will be the mistress of this household."

"Yes, yes, of course, miss." He quickly stepped out of her way, ushering her inside. "I shall inform Lord Derby of your arrival."

He hurried away, leaving Lavender with her question still lingering on her tongue. She supposed she could find out who was here by seeing for herself. She waited impatiently for the butler to return and he stated that she had been invited to join the earl and his guests in the drawing room.

Lavender kept her questions at bay, following behind the butler even though she needed no help in finding the room herself. He opened the door for her and seemed all too eager to leave. Lavender paid the butler no mind as she entered the room.

Out of all the possibilities that had raced through her mind, this was the very last of them. The Countess of Lively sat in the center of the room with a cup of tea in her hands and a smug look on her face. Next to her on the chaise lounge was a young, pretty lady whom Lavender vaguely recognized, though she knew they had never met. And then there was Austin standing by the bay window with his arms crossed looking as if someone had just dashed all his hopes.

Lavender didn't know what to say. So few times had she ever been at a loss for words that it made the silence uncomfortable for a few seconds. She looked at Austin for an explanation but before he could open his mouth, Lady Lively spoke up.

"What a surprise," she purred. "Isn't it a bit too early for you to be here, Miss Lavender? And where is your chaperone?"

Lavender's cheeks grew hot. In her haste to see Austin, she had forgotten to ask Betty to chaperone her. She hadn't expected anyone to be here to witness her social disgrace.

Rather than give the obvious answer, Lavender attempted to deflect with one of her own. "What are you doing here, Lady Lively? "

Lady Lively sipped her tea, a sly smile playing around her lips. She made Lavender wait until she'd returned the teacup to its matching saucer before she said, "Do you know Lady Anna?"

She knew the name and face from afar but… "We have not met."

"She is the daughter of the Marquess of Somerset," Lady Lively stated. "And a lovely lady, I must add. Quite the beauty and has the graces of a princess."

"You flatter me, my lady," Lady Anna spoke. Her voice was light and airy, her cheeks rosy pink. Lavender couldn't deny just how pretty Lady Anna was. Strawberry-blond curls, big brown eyes, and soft perfect lips.

Lavender glanced anxiously at Austin but he was saying nothing, his attention on the two ladies sitting before him, his usual frown on his face. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. Did he think Lady Anna was a beauty as well?

"This, Lady Anna," Lady Lively continued, "is Miss Lavender Latrice. She is the sister of Mr. Vincent Latrice. She is the one I was talking about."

"Oh." Lady Anna giggled softly, eyes glittering with humor. "I see."

Annoyance tinged her confusion. Lavender drew closer, taking the chair directly across from them. To steady her nerves, she poured herself a cup of tea. "I must say that I am surprised, my lady," she said. "I cannot imagine what reason you would have to visit the earl."

"You are not the only one, Lavender," Austin spoke up, his irritation apparent. "These ladies showed up just a few minutes before you did and they are yet to state their reason for coming."

"All things in time, my lord," Lady Lively said easily. "Wouldn't it be nice for us to have a proper conversation first?"

"No," he said. "Out with it."

Lady Lively didn't seem perturbed by his bluntness. Instead, she ran her gaze down the length of him. The first time she did that it had been with disdain and a hint of disgust. This time…was she admiring him?

Lavender looked at Austin as well, noting that he was wearing the new clothes he'd received yesterday. Coupled with his newly-shaven face and his styled hair, he was quite the dashing character. And it seemed both ladies were thinking that as well.

"Very well," Lady Lively went on. "Allow me to be blunt. I came here to introduce Lady Anna to you, my lord."

"And why would I need an introduction?"

"Is that not the first step in starting a friendship? Perhaps more?"

Lavender choked on her tea. She tried to cover it up but she didn't miss the derisive look Lady Lively gave her. Lady Anna's polite and pleasant expression did not move.

"A friendship?" Lavender asked incredulously. "You came all the way here to start a friendship?"

"Yes, to begin with," Lady Lively continued. "You see, my lord, Lady Anna took notice of you at the garden party and thought you were quite fetching. So, since we are acquainted, I thought I could assist in helping you two to get to know each other."

Lavender couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was trying to make a match with a man who was spoken for?

Austin narrowed his eyes at the countess. "Bold of you to do such a thing knowing that I am betrothed to Miss Lavender."

"Yes, yes, so you say. Though I cannot help but wonder how solid such a betrothal is." Lady Lively smiled. "After all, you are yet to announce it in the banns. How can anyone take such a betrothal seriously, if it is not announced?"

"Surely you must be jesting," Lavender murmured, still in disbelief.

"Well, Miss Lavender, this is not something you were meant to hear," Lady Lively said. "But I suppose it is a good thing that you are here. It would be easier for you to know as well."

"For me to know that you mean to take my betrothed?" Lavender murmured.

"An engagement is just one small step, Miss Lavender," Lady Lively stated dismissively. "But the game is not truly over until a wedding occurs, which I hear is months away from now. A lot can happen in that time."

"Ladies." Austin's firm voice kept Lavender from having to think of a response. "I think it is time for you to leave. "

"Of course, my lord." Lady Anna stood, planting a perfect smile on her lips. She turned to face Austin, eyes twinkling. "We have overstayed our welcome. I hope we will be able to spend more time together in the future."

Lavender didn't dare look at Austin. She'd seen firsthand how easily men fell for demure and pretty ladies. She didn't want to see it right before her eyes.

She kept her eyes on the table, feeling Lady Lively's eyes boring into her face. Lavender felt the burn of tears at the back of her eyes and she forced them back. She had no reason to cry. Why should she? It was not her fault these ladies thought it fit to try and take her betrothed away from her.

The fact that Austin was not responding right away tore at an opening wound in the center of her chest. He must be reconsidering his options. Trading in the plain, bossy sister of a merchant for the beautiful and wealthy daughter of a marquess.

"My butler will escort you two out," Austin said at last.

Lavender listened as he made his way to the door. Lady Anna moved first, then Lady Lively stood. She didn't have to say anything for her satisfaction to be obvious. As if this meeting had gone exactly the way she had expected it to and knew that there were many more to come.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, my lord," Lady Anna was saying behind Lavender. She still stayed where she sat, shaking.

Austin grunted something Lavender could not hear and soon the ladies were out the door, leaving them alone. Lavender suddenly wished she hadn't come here at all.

***

"Lavender."

She didn't respond to him, her attention out the window. Austin stared at her for a few seconds longer, admiring how lovely she looked this morning. He wanted to say as much to her but he was not sure it was the best thing to do at that moment.

"What do you think of the changes I've made here?" he asked. "Replacing the wallpaper with the same one was your idea but I thought it would be nice to add a few more artistic pieces as well."

"Hm." She didn't look back at him. From the moment Lady Lively and Lady Anna left, Lavender had stood and made her way over to the window. Minutes had gone by and she was yet to say a word.

Austin scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to say. That entire conversation had been nothing short of uncomfortable. Austin had considered sending them away when his butler had announced their visit and had only accepted their call when he thought that it might be able to help Lavender. He didn't think that it would turn into…that.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after a few more moments of silence.

"Why?" she snapped without looking at him. "Were you hoping to have some more time alone with Lady Anna?"

"Of course not," he answered easily, a little confused as to why she would think such a thing. "But when we parted ways yesterday, it was on the agreement that I would come to call on you. Not the other way around."

"I made a mistake, it seemed," she mumbled.

"Lavender." Austin sighed. He didn't know how to fix this. He didn't even know what he was fixing. So he tried to distract her. "The art pieces. Do you like them?"

"Yes," she answered.

"You have not even looked."

Lavender didn't say anything for a moment before turning to look at him. Austin pointed to the mantle. There, next to the portrait of his stepmother was one of his late father. He had rummaged through his father's old things and thought it would be a nice addition to the drawing room, as per Lavender's suggestion.

Her expression hardly changed as she took it in. "That's nice," she answered noncommittally.

Austin stifled his sigh. "I have a few more changes that I would like to show you. And I do need your input on what other renovations I should do. "

Lavender shook her head. She turned away from the window to face him. "Perhaps I should just leave. I am in no mood to talk about such things and I will be terrible company."

She attempted to do just that. Austin stepped in her path before she could make it to the door. "What is the matter, Lavender?" he asked, sounding a little weary.

Fire flashed behind her brown eyes. "What is the matter?" she repeated. "Surely you do not think I would be fine after hearing such a thing?"

"That was a bit outrageous of them to do, I agree. But you needn't be bothered by the sayings of an egotistical countess and her lackey."

"Is that so?" She crossed her arms, face flaring with anger and something else Austin could not name. The anger, however, he could respond to. Anger he was used to. "You mean for me to stand here and talk about renovations with you when it is clear that you could trade me in for another lady at any moment."

Austin scoffed. "Do you really think so lowly of me to think I would give a damn about a title? Surely you must know me better by now."

"It is not so much the title as it is the benefits that comes with it. It is obvious, Austin. Lady Anna is the daughter of a marquess and likely possesses a dowry that will be more than enough for you to attain all your goals. Not to mention the fact that she is far more—"

She broke off, turning away.

"Far more what?" Austin pressed.

"It's nothing. Let us forget it. I suppose I cannot blame you if you make such a decision, all things considered."

"Lavender, this is silly."

"Of course you would think so," she mumbled. When she faced him again, Austin could have sworn he saw the faint sheen of tears in her eyes. She blinked and it was gone. "I am in no mood to continue the conversation. I should leave."

She attempted to pass him again but he caught her wrist gently. "You don't have to go, Lavender. Don't let those ladies ruin your days. "

"If you think it is just the ladies, Austin, then you should think again." She calmly pried her wrist away from him and walked away.

Austin wanted to chase after her. He would have, if he knew what to say to her. Frustration mounted in him with every step she took away from him and once he was alone in the drawing room, he let out a long breath.

He'd just made that situation worse, he realized. And as usual, he hadn't a clue how to fix it.