Chapter Five

August 31

Caxton Manor

Hampshire, England

S taring into the mirror as Clarke put the finishing touches on her coiffure, Augusta sighed and tried not to feel bitter. She and her mother just watched her best friend marry a man she'd only just met when the house party had begun scarcely a week before. Not that she was jealous of her friend's choice of husband in Captain Alexander Bancroft. Augusta had had no designs of her own on the gentleman, to be sure. He was handsome enough and pleasant enough, and surely dashing enough for any young lady who delighted in a scarlet coat, but he hadn't interested Augusta in the least.

The problem was Augusta had known for years who she wanted to marry but was only slightly better off now than she had been when she'd first met Mr. Burton. At least now she was of an age to marry him. But she couldn't do anything about making that happen when he was off halfway around the world in the western part of America. So to watch Emma pluck a husband almost out of thin air was disconcerting in the extreme.

Of course, there were other options, if she would admit it. Several young gentlemen had stood out to her during the Season, the most likely of whom was Lord Boxted. They had met frequently at ton entertainments through May and June and he'd acquitted himself admirably on dance floors, in theater boxes, and on many stately garden walks. A pleasant and witty companion, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the gentlemen who'd shown an interest in her this year.

And still, she hadn't given him any true encouragement. Neither would she do so if she wished to avoid the dreary, predictable life her parents had led, that she'd led until now. Lord Boxted was heir to an earldom and with such a title came responsibilities and duties for him and his wife. Augusta would rather not have that burden fall upon her shoulders if she could marry someone like Mr. Burton instead. Life as the wife of an adventurer would have very different responsibilities, and much more freedom than she'd ever had before. If she had to bide her time and wait for Mr. Burton to return, then she would do so.

It didn't matter at all how attractive Lord Boxted had looked in the elegantly cut navy-blue suit he'd worn at his cousin's wedding today. Augusta's cheeks heated at the remembrance of seeing him in the congregation of the chapel once she'd walked down the aisle as Emma's maid of honor. She'd looked out at the sea of faces and immediately noted him in the third row. Her pulse had sped up and she'd become so hot, she'd thought she'd swoon. The reaction baffled her, although she supposed she could put it down to surprise. She'd not believed he'd be attending the wedding as he'd not been at the Caxton house party and the whole wedding had happened so quickly. But all of the Duke of Welwyn's grown grandsons had been present to congratulate Captain Alexander Bancroft on his marriage to Emma.

She'd not spoken to Lord Boxted at the wedding breakfast. After her strange reaction at the wedding, she'd thought it best that she not meet him. Instead she'd spent most of the time with Emma, trying to pry the mystery of how she and Captain Bancroft had broken the garden swing out of her.

How she'd manage to avoid Lord Boxted at dinner tonight and afterward, she hadn't a clue. Perhaps he wouldn't wish to speak to her, or if he did, she might feel nothing untoward. Her giddiness this morning could have been brought on by being anxious about her role in the wedding.

"Is that to your liking, my lady?" Clarke stood back and Augusta glanced at her hair, swept up into a mass of ringlet curls atop her head with small pink and green artificial flowers fixed here and there with a charming randomness.

"Excellent as always, Clarke. Thank you." Augusta rose and the maid draped an ivory, red, and green paisley shawl around her shoulders. Her pale green silk gown with pink rosettes scattered over it wasn't one of her favorites, but it did become her very well, making her skin a perfect ivory and bringing out the blue of her eyes. She actually preferred bolder colors, although her mother kept admonishing her that such hues were for married ladies only. The result was a struggle anytime they visited the modiste. Augusta had agreed to the ordering of the pastel-colored gowns only because, in exchange, her mother had promised she could have several made in deeper colors, even one in the deep-gold color she adored.

Heading down to the drawing room where the guests had been gathering before dinner, Augusta raised her chin, resolving to spend the meal talking to her mother about their plans for the autumn. The Little Season was upon them, and although she believed her mother wished her to attend it, Augusta now wished to persuade her to wait until they knew when Mr. Burton would return to England.

She entered the drawing room and immediately headed toward her mother, meaning to ask if there had been a letter from her father. He might even now know something about Mr. Burton's plans.

"Lady Augusta."

She stopped dead still, the voice of Lord Boxted sending a thrill down her spine. Turning toward him, she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the sight of the handsome gentleman, flawlessly attired in his evening dress and looking even more dashing than she remembered him from their last encounter at Lady Tupperfield's soiree.

"Lord Boxted, how do you do?" She curtsied, her heart giving a strange little skip.

"I am very well, my lady." His eyes snapped with merriment. "I hope you are, as well? Have you enjoyed your time at Lord and Lady Caxton's house party?"

"I have, my lord." She shifted from foot to foot, making her belled skirts sway. "It has been quite thrilling to see my friend Miss Washer married so quickly. She only just met Captain Bancroft a week ago."

"Alex is a fortunate man. Miss Washer is a charming young lady, although I suppose I should now say Mrs. Bancroft is a charming woman." He grinned. "I hope they will be truly happy."

"I am surprised to see you here, my lord." That hadn't been the topic she'd intended to broach, but it had come out, nevertheless.

"Really?" His brows rose alarmingly. "You know me better than that, Lady Augusta. You know family is most important to the Quartermains—almost as important as wagering."

She laughed at that and relaxed a bit. Why he was making her nervous tonight she had no idea. "Yes, I do know that, my lord. But the wedding came about so quickly, I scarcely thought anyone would be in attendance."

"A train journey of a few hours from London is nothing an enterprising gentleman couldn't arrange." He motioned toward his cousins, clustered around their grandfather. "You see we have all managed to turn out." His gaze slid back to her, his eyes intent on her face. "Are you happy to see me here, my lady?"

Augusta's heart gave a great thump, so loud she feared he could hear it. She threw a panic-stricken glance around the room and was relieved that the butler had just opened the door to the dining room. "I think we are about to go in, my lord."

Without taking his gaze off her, he offered his arm. "I was told I was to escort you in, my lady."

Nodding, she took his arm. The matter of precedence would of course dictate their seating. And as their ranks were of a similar standing, it was understandable he would be her dinner partner. As they filed in, finding their correct place in the throng of guests, Augusta couldn't help wondering if the Fates were trying to take a hand in deciding her future.

*

As Julius led Lady Augusta to their seats midway down the table, he tried to keep a firm grip on his plan for this evening's dinner. Based on her father's information about Mr. Burton's influence on Lady Augusta, Julius had used his time on the trains the past few days to devise a plan to demonstrate to the lady that even though he wasn't an adventurer per se, he'd traveled a good bit of the world and had had his share of exploits. He only hoped Burton's explorations were what had fascinated Lady Augusta and not some other quality or characteristic about the man.

Once they were seated, he dropped his napkin in his lap and turned to Lady Augusta, a smile on his lips. "Do you know where the bride and groom are off to for their wedding trip?"

Lady Augusta shook her head and took up her water glass. "Captain Bancroft is stationed in London at present, awaiting his next posting. So they are traveling there until he's given his orders."

"The military life certainly gives one the opportunity to travel the world." His cousin had said that many times, and it was true enough. If you didn't mind going somewhere you didn't wish to go.

"Mrs. Bancroft shouldn't mind following the drum. She's used to traveling long distances. She was in India with her aunt and uncle for some time." Lady Augusta got a distant look in her eyes.

"Would you like to see India, my lady?"

She turned to him, a pucker to her lips. "I would like to see any place outside of England or Scotland, my lord. I've not had the opportunity to do so, so far. Although I have hopes that that may change soon."

"Indeed, are you planning a trip?" Julius kept the question light, despite his knowledge to the contrary.

"Not planning one, so much as I hope to be invited to travel soon." She turned back to her place as the soup was served.

"Well, if you have any say in the matter, I will suggest you visit Italy, and Naples in particular, although you might prefer Venice. The shopping is quite wonderful there." He tasted the soup, which was delicious, and waited to see if she would rise to the bait.

"Why did you prefer Naples?" Her delicate brows rose slightly. "If the shopping was better elsewhere."

"Because Naples is only a short carriage ride from the excavation at Pompeii."

"Pompeii?" She turned to him, her eyes wide. "You were allowed to visit the excavation?"

"As my grandfather is a duke, his letter of introduction to Signor Spinelli, the current director of the museum and excavation, worked wonders." It had been a very fortunate introduction, as few people other than archeologists were usually allowed at the dig.

"What was is like?" He'd never seen such a rapt look on Lady Augusta's face outside of the times they'd met over a chessboard. "Were you actually able to walk the streets of the city?"

"Yes, I was." He sipped his wine, remembering the awe he'd felt when standing on the newly uncovered stone walkways. "I walked over the area called the Forum, saw all the ancient Roman columns standing guard around it, with Mount Vesuvius sitting there, ever present in the distance. It was a chilling sight."

"How fortunate you were, my lord." Lady Augusta sounded humbled. "I have read several works that talk about the excavation as well as Mr. Bulwer-Lytton's The Last Days of Pompeii , but to actually have been there and walked the streets would be a dream come true."

"You are a student of history, my lady?"

She shook her head. "No, but I am an aficionado of adventure. To go where others have not been before, or to see those places and things that most people can only dream of or read about…" A wistful look came over her face. "I will admit this moment I am extremely jealous of you, Lord Boxted. You have done so much more already than I can scarcely ever aspire to doing."

"I would think, Lady Augusta, that you will find a way to make your dreams come true." Julius watched her, suddenly overcome with the need to comfort her. "If any lady can mold her destiny, I would wager it is you."

Her smile lit up her face. "If you would wager on me, my lord, I think I must take heart." Then the light went out of her eyes. "But for a woman, it all depends on who she marries as to what her life will be like. My parents, for example, had an arranged marriage and it has suited my mother well from what I can tell. Being the Countess of Tilney is all she ever wished to be." Her face shifted, defiance in every line. "However, that is not all I wish for myself, my lord."

"I would never think that, my lady." And yet if he managed to get Lady Augusta to agree to marry him, wouldn't that be her lot in life? Would he be caging a bird that would only ever want its freedom? "I hope you are able to find a way to realize every dream you wish for yourself."

"You are very kind, my lord." She drank some wine, then turned to him again. "Where else did you travel to? You were on your Grand Tour when you visited Pompeii?"

"Yes, I was. I began in France, in Paris, then went through Switzerland down into Italy." From the hunger in her eyes, Julius almost didn't want to tell her the ultimate stop on his journey. "And then, on a whim, I took a ship from Naples to Egypt."

"You have been to Egypt?" The disbelief in her voice was almost more than Julius could bear. "You have seen the pyramids? The Sphynx?"

He nodded, again watching her intently.

"Oh, Lord Boxted. You have been holding out on me all this time." The delight on her face enabled Julius to breathe again. "You simply must tell me—"

"My dear Lady Augusta." Lord Sherborne, her dinner partner on her right, had turned to her, his face eager. "You must tell me about your father's estate in Scotland. He's invited me to come up next month for the shooting and I thought I would find out the lay of the land, so to speak, from you, dear lady."

They had come to the end of the first course, at which point etiquette demanded that those of polite society must turn and make conversation with the dinner partner on their other side. Lady Augusta gave him one stricken look, then obediently turned toward Lord Sherborne and began to relate a description of her father's hunting estate in the Highlands.

Just as disappointed, Julius dutifully turned to the elderly lady on his left. "Lady Corby, how did you enjoy the wedding?"

At least now, having gotten his partner started on a topic he was certain she could speak about for the entire main course, Julius allowed part of his mind to mull over everything he'd just discovered about Lady Augusta. Paramount, it seemed, was her desire for travel and adventure. At least those were desires he could easily satisfy if they were married. They could take an extended wedding trip to rival his Grand Tour. He could show her Paris and Pompeii, Venice and Napoli, and Egypt in all its magnificent splendor. Nothing could be easier.

What he couldn't do was promise her she would never have to become the Countess of Winwick, with all the duties and responsibilities that station entailed. When she married him, that too would become her destiny. Could she come to love him enough that their early life of excitement and adventure could compensate her for her eventual role as countess?

Julius had no idea if Lady Augusta had any sort of affection or feeling for him past their current friendship, although he did believe they had forged that much. As there was so much to admire about the lady, for his part he could easily see himself falling in love. They had the Little Season before them, providing plenty of opportunities for them to deepen their acquaintance. And if Mr. Burton would kindly keep himself out of the country this autumn, then perhaps Julius could bring the lady around. Unfortunately, on this particular wager, even he didn't like his odds for success.