Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Lydia was out of breath when she ran into the Carter family library and closed the door as quietly as possible. She'd never make it to her bedchamber unnoticed and had to think for a moment about what to do.
Her hair was knotted by the wind. The sleeves and hem of her dress were torn from an unfortunate tussle with a bramble bush. And the balls of her feet were scratched and dirty from running across the wild terrain without any shoes.
"That horrible man! Why do men ruin everything?"
Fortunately, Lydia was able to ring for her maid, Jules, from the library. And there was plenty to occupy her mind while she waited.
This was the perfect time to peruse one of her father's books on human anatomy, kept on the highest shelf for as long as Lydia could remember. She'd never looked at it before because to do so would have been against her father's rules.
Ladies weren't supposed to know such things as how the human body was made. Today, however, Lydia had had a lesson in human anatomy that she'd never wanted but now would never forget.
She rolled the library ladder all the way to the end of the longest wall of books and slowly climbed to the top. When she found the dusty manual she was looking for, she pressed the heavy book against her bodice and crept down the creaky wooden ladder to take a seat at a long table.
This room had always been Lydia's favorite and one of the few places where she felt she fully belonged. As she skimmed through the illustrations of her father's anatomy text, she remembered some of the other books she'd dared to read without permission over the years.
She'd spent many hours in this room reading political pamphlets and the poems of Lord Byron by candlelight. Lately, she'd been secretly browsing through her father's farming books, like Systems of Husbandry of Scotland by Sir John Sinclair.
But the anatomy book was a whole new world. Lydia was so engrossed in the illustrations of the major organs that she didn't hear Jules tiptoe into the library to ask her mistress if she needed assistance.
"My lady? Did you need me?"
Lydia leaped out of her chair and pressed a hand to her heart. "Jules! Oh goodness, I didn't hear you come in!"
The maid apologized and looked with concern at her appearance. "Have you had an accident, Lady Lydia? Do you need a doctor?"
Waving her hand to dismiss the suggestion, Lydia sat back down to catch her breath from the fright. "No, I am quite well, thank you. I fell into some brambles during my walk, but I was unharmed. Would you please bring me a cloak and slippers so I might retreat to my room without attracting attention? No need to worry anyone else about my haggard appearance."
"Of course, my lady. I'll do so right away, as we need to prepare you for the ball this evening." Jules curtsied and turned to leave the library.
"Ah, yes. The Winstone ball. One shouldn't miss out on that event since there's so little else of value in the world."
"I beg your pardon, miss?" Jules turned back around with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"My apologies, Jules, it was nothing. Thank you for bringing the cloak and slippers as soon as you can."
With her maid out of the room again, Lydia flipped the thick science book's pages more quickly to locate the most important details of her research—the male anatomy.
She gasped for the second time today when she discovered the detailed illustration she sought. It depicted the strange dangling appendage that hung from a man's groin.
Strange and oddly enticing.
Lydia gazed with shock and quite a bit of awe at the secrets a man held in his trousers that she had never witnessed before.
But there was something different about the illustration compared to the body of that arrogant stranger in the spring.
Though hidden by his tunic, the intruder's appendage could not have been more apparent in its shockingly rigid state. It had pointed directly at her, like the finger of a giant that poked against the surrounding fabric like it desperately wanted to escape.
Lydia swallowed hard as she stared at the flaccid version in the book's illustration. Then she read every word about its physiology with rapt attention.
Perspiration beaded on her brow by the time she was done learning what all a man's penis and its companion organs could do. How wonderous was its function! Lydia pulled her father's magnifying glass out of the library desk drawer and pored over the information more closely, riveted by all the new knowledge.
Then she read the words that described the purpose of its engorgement. Lydia's green eyes flew open with surprise and she slammed the book shut.
Her mind spun as she came to understand the cause of the stranger's physical state when he'd revealed his nearly naked body to her at the spring.
Stimulation. Blood flow. Arousal!
"Was that horrid man thinking impure thoughts about me?"
Lydia's dizziness increased as the image of his body slid back into her mind. He was so wet and muscular. So handsome and full of himself while standing proudly erect in front of a lady!
She held the closed anatomy book against her breasts and hurried to return it to the top of the shelf before Jules discovered her mistress blushing and sweating and panting from the heat rising beneath her dress. Lydia slid the library ladder far away from the location of such an eye-opening book and sat near a window so the breeze could cool her flushed face.
When Jules returned with her cloak and slippers, Lydia was never so relieved to leave the library behind and push thoughts of stimulated trespassers out of her mind.
***
"Admit it, Lydia. Even you look magnificent tonight. How can you not love wearing such finery for the biggest event of the year?" Eleanor Carter stroked a beaded sleeve of Lydia's gold gown and swished the skirt of her own elegant silver dress.
Charlotte, radiant in a bronze beaded frock in the same style, playfully batted away the hand of her maid who attempted to adjust the tiara on top of her head. "I agree! Isn't this much more fun than burying your nose in a book?"
Lydia giggled at her sister's mention of a book and felt the same embarrassment from her afternoon reading heat her cheeks again. "You'd be surprised what a book can teach you, sisters. Far more than spending all your hours tightening corsets and painting your face."
"You could benefit from some paint on that face of yours, eldest sister. You're practically ancient by now!" Charlotte looped her arm through Eleanor's as the two younger sisters laughed at Lydia's expense.
Lydia sighed and walked a few paces in front of them. She hoped her siblings' dance cards would fill rapidly this evening so she wouldn't have to suffer through their babble much longer.
As the three sisters descended the stairs of Briarwood House together, Lydia tried to muster up some frivolity for the evening. Unfortunately, it was no easy task. All the things she enjoyed doing were off-limits, like reading in a corner or having debates about the state of the world.
Though escaping a ball is my favorite pastime of all.
"Promise you won't try to join the men for brandy and cigars tonight, Lydia! I wish to avoid the gossip your unseemly behavior might bring." Lady Margaret Briarwood, Lydia's mother, shouted that request from the bottom of the steps as she wrung her hands together. "And try to be polite to the gentlemen, dear. Trust that a man who asks you to dance isn't doing so to question your intelligence."
Eleanor and Charlotte giggled while Lydia frowned. "I'll do my best, Mama. But I'll have you know that men sometimes have secret intent that might shock you."
Though you might not notice his secret if he is clothed.
"Whatever you say, dear. Now make haste. Being late for the Winstone ball simply will not do."
Lord Briarwood and Lydia's older brother, William, escorted the ladies to their finest carriage out front. Once settled inside, the ride to the Winstone estate was pleasant enough, despite all the excited chatter from the two younger Carter sisters who talked on and on about the return of Viscount Winstone, the season's most eligible man.
When their carriage arrived at the grand Winstone estate, even Lydia was impressed by the exterior of the main house and the magnificent gardens surrounding it.
William and Lord Briarwood exited the carriage first and offered their arms to help the Carter women emerge with widened eyes. Though her parents and brother had been here before, tonight was the first visit to Winstone House by all of the Earl of Briarwood's daughters.
While standing on the front drive covered in loose stone, every member of the family gaped at the gothic columns, expansive wrought-iron balconies, and so many enormous windows Lydia couldn't count them all.
Lord Briarwood took his wife's hand and instructed his children to follow. "Make us proud tonight, children. Every eye is upon us inside these walls."
Lydia frowned, then felt an elbow poke her side.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" she chastised her brother in a hushed tone so her parents would not turn around and scold her before they'd even crossed the Winstone threshold.
"Every time you scowl tonight, this elbow will find you." William teased.
"All the more reason to scowl at the back of your head." Lydia elbowed him in return as the two siblings smiled at each other.
He was Lydia's protector and often helped keep her in line, but William also had a rebellious streak that he kept well-hidden most of the time. As they walked the many steps between their carriage and the front entrance, William noted that the weather seemed to be shifting.
"The air is heavy and wet tonight. We may be in for a storm."
"I prefer storms that arrive before a ball. Especially those that cancel a ball altogether." Lydia lifted the skirt of her dress to keep it free of mud and wondered if she'd ever see again the muddy boots that she'd left behind at Fairyland Spring.
"I daresay I agree with you on that point, sister." William laughed until his mother stopped walking and turned to face him.
"A bachelor of six-and-twenty years should not be avoiding balls, William. This night provides just as much opportunity for you to find a proper mate as it does your sisters. You are the only male heir of your father's estate, are you not?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Then I wish to hear no more of storms. Your main concern is to secure a bride and soon provide an heir of your own." The Marchioness Briarwood waited for her son's nod of acknowledgment, then returned to her husband's side and led the family into the grand foyer of Winstone House where their hosts waited to greet them.
Lord and Lady Winstone exuded warmth with their beaming smiles as they welcomed their guests.
"We're so happy to see you, Lord and Lady Briarwood! And your beautiful family, of course!"
Eleanor and Charlotte immediately started giggling again from excitement and nerves. Lydia cast them a warning glance. She hated how much attention her younger sisters attracted because it meant people looked more often at her, as well.
"Thank you, Lord Winstone. Lady Winstone. We appreciate your excellent hospitality! Our daughters were just saying how excited they are to meet your son, Viscount Winstone. We hope he enjoyed his many travels this past year." Lady Briarwood bowed to Lady Winstone in a gesture that Lydia felt looked more like her mother was about to kiss the countess's ring.
"You're in luck, girls. Viscount Winstone is right here." Lady Winstone reached around and tapped the shoulder of a tall man with sandy blonde hair behind her. "Joseph, dear. This is the Marquess and Marchioness Briarwood, and their children."
When Lady Winstone's son swiveled his body to face the Carter family, Lydia cried out as if she'd seen a ghost.
"You!" Lydia forgot all about her current company as her jaw dropped open and her gloved hands balled into fists at her side.
Lord Joseph Penton's face filled with just as much shock, but he recovered more quickly. "Yes, it is I, Viscount Winstone! Were you expecting someone else?"
The viscount's sly grin made it clear that he recognized Lydia and enjoyed every second of her obvious discomfort at seeing him again.
Then William's elbow found Lydia's ribcage just in time to snap her out of the unbecoming rage filling her chest.
"You… are the talk of the town, Lord Winstone! It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" Lydia bowed and felt herself talking too loudly and forcibly, but it was all she could do not to punch the handsome scoundrel in the gut for his scandalous display at the spring. "These are my parents, Lord and Lady Briarwood!"
Once she'd introduced her parents at the top of her lungs, Lydia slipped back behind her family members to fight her feelings with more privacy. Unfortunately, the viscount was so bloody tall he could still see her face.
Her parents introduced her sisters to Joseph, but he kept peeking back at Lydia as everyone exchanged pleasantries. What was even worse was how the Countess Winstone seemed to be enjoying that her son couldn't keep his eyes off of Lydia.
As hard as she tried to shrink, she seemed to be even more noticeable on a night when every young eligible lady out in society was fair game. When she tried to catch William's eye for his sympathy, he was exchanging smiles with a blonde, blue-eyed woman standing near the viscount and a man that looked a lot like him.
"...and this is my middle son, Oliver, and his wife, Sophia," Lady Winstone bragged as the blonde woman blushed and broke William's gaze. "You'll see some of Sophia's paintings in the grand hall. She is one of the gems of our family, to be certain. Do any of your young ladies paint, Lady Briarwood?"
The air between the Carter and Penton families suddenly shifted from the breeziness of pleasant greetings to the static of marriage mart negotiations.
"Indeed! My youngest, Lady Charlotte, has been painting since she was a child." Lady Briarwood motioned for Charlotte to step forward, who tripped on her gown and nearly landed in the viscount's arms.
"I do enjoy painting! Chipmunks and squirrels, mostly. Would you agree they are the cutest creatures, Lord Winstone?"
Eleanor giggled and Lady Briarwood let out a frustrated sigh.
The viscount looked at Charlotte with amusement but aimed his grin and response at Lydia. "Feisty woodland creatures are some of my favorites, Lady Charlotte. In fact, I had a chance encounter with one just this afternoon."
Lydia rolled her eyes at the viscount and sent as much anger his way as possible while standing where her family couldn't see her face.
When she tore her eyes away from Joseph to look for the closest escape, she locked gazes with the Countess Winstone, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"And what of the talents of your eldest, Lady Briarwood? She seems like a young woman with a lot of… spirit, is she not?"
Lady Briarwood turned to look at Lydia and pulled her to the front of their group again, right in front of the Viscount Winstone.
"Lydia is indeed my most spirited daughter, Lady Winstone. Yet she is also kind, courteous, and obedient."
Lydia wrinkled her brow at her mother's comments just as the viscount started coughing uncontrollably. As his father patted his son on the back to help unblock his congestion, Lydia thought Joseph Penton's cough sounded awfully close to laughter.
"Courteous and obedient, you say?" The viscount spoke through a few final sputters that made his hazel eyes water. "Those are fine qualities for a lady, indeed. So fine, in fact, that I must insist on having the first dance tonight, Lady Lydia."
Lydia once again looked up at Joseph Penton with a mix of shock and anger. "A dance? With you?"
Before the viscount could respond, Lydia felt her brother's elbow make contact with the small lobe of her liver, if her father's anatomy book could be trusted as to the location of the human organs.
"Yes, with me, my lady. Or are your feet hurting this evening for reasons utterly unknown to me?"
Lady Winstone launched a quizzical look at her son, who returned it with an innocent smile. Lydia watched the exchange with the eyes of an investigator taking notes about her enemies for future use.
"She would be delighted, Lord Winstone." Lydia's mother struck the deal without her consent, thereby solidifying her daughter's fate.
Lady Lydia Carter would have to prance about a ballroom with a man whose erect appendage had recently singled her out and was still pointing at her in her head.
Much to her chagrin, Lydia's heart beat wildly at the thought of dancing with the man whose body had clearly shown at the spring that he desired her.