Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

Daniel was not one for fireworks—although the whole ton usually came out in all their finery every chance they got to watch gunpowder light up the sky in grandiose displays.

Of course, there was nothing greater than an aristocrat’s ego, and every dandy came out of the woodwork to parade about the grounds in all their regalia, never mind that it had rained the night before and the mud was likely to stain their polished boots. Their excited chatter filled the air like a flock of self-absorbed magpies, stifling the atmosphere with their entitlement.

Daniel would have shut himself in his study or the tower had he not heard that Evie would be out to enjoy the display with her friends.

On the surface, it was simply a night of revelry for the members of the beau monde. A chance for everyone to mingle a little bit more freely. Such opportunities were necessary to keep the marriage mart turning.

Daniel, however, was far more aware of the darker side of these things. Of what transpired in the shadows.

“Things truly change once one is betrothed,” Ethan had laughingly remarked when he quickly made himself scarce after Barnaby had sent word that a carriage had been prepared that night for Vauxhall.

Daniel recalled wanting to launch his glass at his friend’s laughing face then.

As if that bastard does not know just how vile these supposed gentlemen can be.

In any case, his friends were well aware of how little he thought of these fine young men of the ton, and they were not at all ignorant of his disdain for them. One might even go so far as to say that they share that very same contempt.

“… grateful that the House has put the bill on the table…” he heard the elderly Lord Milton drone on from beside him.

The doddering baron was already well into his eighth decade, and if Daniel were to be asked, it would have been best if he spent the night in peace in his estate. Unfortunately, Lord Milton was the best example of a fool who refused to learn.

He was also a widower, and even in his ripe, old age, he was still desirous of yet another marriage.

The impressionable young misses of Society, however, had no plans of becoming his Baroness. No lady in her right mind would want to spend the second half of her life looking after an old lecher, but Lord Milton still persevered, and Society’s mamas continued to fight to keep their daughters out of his reach.

Lamentably, he was not the only one of his ilk, although it would have been better for the whole world and womankind in general if his kind were to perish.

“By God, who is that ravishing creature?”

Daniel had very little to no interest in whoever was the latest darling of the Season. In any case, Lord Milton thought anyone in a skirt was ravishing. One could wrap a yard of cloth around a pillar and he would probably propose marriage to it.

Daniel angled his head slightly in the direction of the Baron’s gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly when he caught sight of a delicate figure wrapped in layers of diaphanous, midnight-colored silk. The beads scattered all over the bodice glittered like a thousand stars.

Her dark brown hair was piled up into luscious curls atop her head, but a lone lock hung enchantingly down the side of her neck to rest lightly on her shoulder. Her eyes were wide and thickly lashed, like those of a fawn walking into a pit of vipers.

What the bloody hell was Evie doing, coming into Vauxhall looking like a moon goddess descending upon the earth?

“Excuse me,” he growled, pushing past the Baron, who shrieked slightly in indignation at being so handily displaced.

Daniel did not care, though. All he cared about was getting to Evie.

And just for looking at her like that, he was willing to pluck the old man’s eyes out of their sockets. If anyone else did the same, then perhaps the gentlemen of London could all learn to live without the sense of sight.

Daniel pushed past the throng of bodies and a group of mamas eagerly pushing their daughters towards him. He did not even hear Lord Milton mutter, “Well, I suppose the rumors are true then…”

He needed to get to Evie, and he needed to do that before he lost his mind and wreaked a carnage that Lambeth had never seen before.

Of all the shenanigans Scarlett has pulled me into, this has to be the worst one.

Vauxhall Gardens was largely considered a rural area, but at that moment, the air felt far more oppressive than in the most crowded ballrooms of London. She wanted to claw her way out of the quagmire of bodies that seemed to crowd her, making her dizzy and lightheaded and extremely likely to empty the contents of her stomach onto the moist grass underfoot.

I am going to be sick. Disgustingly, embarrassingly sick!

“Evie! There you are!”

She whirled around to catch a glimpse of a flash of red and green. She saw Phoebe and Scarlett strolling towards her, arm in arm. One wore a slight smile, and the other wore a brilliant grin, their eyes lit up with mischief.

“Why are you standing here like a simpleton?” the redhead teased her. “Did you see him? I thought I saw him right over there!”

As Evie turned in the direction her friend was pointing, she heard a distinctly low, masculine voice growl from behind them, “Just who is there?”

All three young ladies jumped at the sound of his voice. Phoebe looked noticeably uneasy at his appearance, but she regained her composure quickly. Scarlett barely even flinched, smiling openly at him.

“Why, Your Grace!” she enthused. “We did not expect to see you here!”

Evie saw him raise an eyebrow. She could tell that he was not pleased to find them discussing another man.

And why should he care about that? Did he not make it clear to me that we were free to be with whomever lovers we chose?

“Oh, we were just talking about Mr. Bernard Turner,” Phoebe supplied, shooting Evie a look of concern.

“What about him?” Daniel snapped, irritation clear in his tone.

“Well, I never thought you would ask such a thing!” Scarlett gasped dramatically, her hand flying to her chest as if she might collapse from the shock. “Were you not aware that your betrothed paints? Of course, since Mr. Turner is renowned for his artistic talents, she also wishes to learn from him.”

As she talked, Daniel’s eyes seemed to grow darker by the moment.

Please do not say anything more,Evie wanted to implore her friend. Can you not see that the more you talk, the greater the likelihood that we shall have a painter’s blood on our hands by the end of the night?

She felt his hand on her back, steadying her. Her chest loosened, and she breathed a little easier, although it felt as if his entire palm was branded on her skin.

“Why did you not say anything?” he asked her, his voice a gentle whisper against the delicate shell of her ear.

Warmth rose to her cheeks, and she shook her head. “It is nothing worth mentioning,” she replied lightly. “It is just a hobby, nothing more.”

“It appears to mean more to you than you are letting on.”

“I assure you it is nothing like that at all.” She laughed a little. “My brother is the real painter. I have no talent, truly. I just enjoy playing around with colors, that is all.”

She truly wished he would drop the matter. She derived no enjoyment from having to discuss her dreams with someone who may very well laugh at them. However, her friend misguidedly seemed to think that she was in dire need of reinforcement.

“What do you mean ‘that is all’?” Scarlett burst into laughter. “Playing around? You were even considering becoming a spinster and making your own money from it!”

A woman making money was unheard of amongst the gently bred ladies of Society. Becoming a spinster to spend the rest of her life painting was nearly blasphemous!

If Evie could have sprung and covered the redhead’s mouth, she would have. Instead, she wanted to melt into the ground in embarrassment.

The sight of Daniel scowling further cemented her belief that attending this event truly was the worst idea.

And the fireworks display had not even started yet.

Daniel turned towards her. “Is this true?”

“Is what true?” she echoed listlessly.

“Do you really want to meet Turner?”

Did she want to meet the Mr. Bernard Turner? Evie wanted to laugh outright. There was nothing she wanted more!

Unfortunately, she had never felt bold enough to seek an audience with a man of his talent.

She had dreamed that perhaps, one day, she might be capable of producing a masterpiece that would be enough to capture the interest of art connoisseurs and Mr. Turner himself. A masterpiece so great that they would be willing to look beyond her gender and truly appreciate it.

“Of course, I want to meet him.” Evie nodded shyly, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I thought that I should⁠—”

But she hardly finished her sentence when that hand at her back gently but firmly steered her away from her friends. A few of the revelers who had been watching their exchange moved away from them as if they were nothing but butter and Daniel a hot knife.

He said nothing except a low, “Come.”

“Where are we going?” she asked him helplessly.

“Did you not want to see the painter? Well, I am taking you to meet him.”

“But,” she protested in exasperation, “I have hardly accomplished anything yet. I⁠—”

“You are going to meet him, not audition for him,” he pointed out.

Evie balked slightly at that.

He does have a good point there. If I am to simply meet Mr. Turner, I will not need to impress him with my skills. Not for now, at least.

“If I say you will meet him, then you will,” Daniel said firmly. “And if you wish for him to teach you, then he will do that as well.”

“Daniel… you cannot just order people about like that. It is just not right.”

He looked at her, his eyes softening slightly. “Sweetheart, you seem to forget that I do not always do what is right. I will, however, do all that is necessary.”

“I hardly think this is necessary!”

“It is because you will be my Duchess. Your slightest wish will be a necessity.”

There was simply no arguing with him. He was set in his ways.

She looked back at her friends helplessly, hoping that they might at least step up and rescue her from this immensely compelling man who seemed to hold the entire world in the palms of his hands.

Scarlett simply winked back at her and mouthed, “Best of luck!”

It would seem that Evie was on her own this time.