Chapter Eight

“A picnic.”

Samuel arched an eyebrow. “A picnic?”

“Yes.” Lord Allington shrugged. “It is an excellent notion, do you not think?” He pointed a little along the path. “There, do you see? Lord Barlow is there already and I am sure that Lady Florentina and her sister will be joining us very soon.” He chuckled as Samuel nodded, rubbing one hand over his chin. “I had a prolonged conversation with Lady Florentina when I called upon her. I do think her very pleasant indeed, and quite beautiful.”

Hearing this, something shuddered in Samuel’s chest, making him frown. “Yes. She is.” With a wry smile, he nudged his friend. “Though given that her character is much too determined for a lady, much too fierce and strong-willed, then her beauty of face is all that she has by way of attraction.”

Lord Allington laughed softly, a glint in his eye. “I confess that I do not find a strong-willed creature particularly dislikeable. In a way, I am drawn to such traits, for there is a little more… challenge in such a person.”

This sent a clanging warning through Samuel’s mind as he heard his friend speak. It was not as though he disliked Lord Allington, only that the way he viewed ladies of society was a little… questionable. Though, Samuel reminded himself, it mattered not when it came to Lady Florentina. It had to be done and Lord Allington was the best way for Samuel’s aims to be achieved.

“Ah! I can see that Lady Florentina and Lady Christina have arrived. I shall make my way towards them at once.”

A strange desire to join Lord Allington hit Samuel right between the eyes and he stopped short, making Lord Allington turn towards him.

Samuel cleared his throat. “I cannot be seen with you,” he reminded the gentleman, who quickly nodded, his expression clearing. “I do hope that all goes well.”

“Oh, it shall go very well,” Lord Allington replied, with a quirk to his lips. “Good afternoon, Your Grace. I shall inform you about the success of my picnic as soon as I am able.”

With a nod, Samuel watched as Lord Allington made his way directly towards the ladies and Lord Barlow, only for his eyes to catch sight of a most familiar figure. His eyebrows lifted, his heart suddenly slamming hard into his chest as he took in the presence of Lord Crawley. Taking a step back for fear that someone would see him, he narrowed his gaze as Lord Crawley not only made his way towards the small, gathered group but soon sat down on the picnic blankets spread out across the grass.

Whatever is he doing?

His jaw set tight as anger flashed through him. Yes, Lord Crawley had expressed his displeasure with all Samuel was doing, but Samuel had never expected his friend would continue his acquaintance with the Haddington family! Surely it could not be that Lord Crawley would inform Lady Florentina of Samuel’s intentions as regarded Lord Allington? There had to be more loyalty in their friendship than that!

“Your Grace?”

Samuel turned, his lips still set in an angry line. He looked into the faces of two young ladies who were both smiling at him for some extraordinary reason, though Samuel himself made very little effort to smile back in return.

“Your Grace, it is very good to see you in the park today.” The first young lady continued to smile brightly as she spoke, even though Samuel's frown lingered also. She did not appear to be in the least bit perturbed by his heavy-set expression, though her friend did seem to be a little more concerned given the way she bit her lip and then looked away.

“It is a very fine day for walking in the park, is it not?” The young lady beamed up at him, though Samuel did not reply. “Are you to take a turn around the grounds, Your Grace? If you are, then we can offer you our excellent company.”

Clearing his throat, Samuel gestured to the park vaguely. “I had thought to walk alone for a time.” He knew that he was being a little rude and making it quite clear that he had no interest in these young ladies, though this did not concern him in the least. “It is, as you have said, a fine day but I am in the mood for my own company.”

Much to Samuel's frustration, this did not seem to turn the lady away from her clear intention of being with him for a little longer. Her smile remained, her eyes bright as she gazed up at him.

“You say that you are inclined to your own company, Your Grace, but I am sure that once you have spoken with myself and my friend for even a few minutes, you will be glad you have joined us.”

Samuel groaned inwardly, wondering if he ought to groan aloud in the hope that it might persuade her to leave him alone. All he wanted to do was cautiously watch Lord Allington and Lady Florentina, hoping to see just how well his plan was working.

“I think you are disturbing the Duke, Dinah.”

Finally, the second young lady spoke up. She did not look at Samuel, but turned bodily towards her friend, clearly determined to remove them from his company just as soon as she could. “It is clear that he is a gentleman who prefers his own company to any other company that he might be offered… rude as though it may be.” These last few words were spoken quietly, perhaps in the hope of not being overheard, but hear them he did.

Samuel stiffened. He had a reputation to maintain within society. His acquisition of the Haddington House had reminded him that all he wanted from others in society was that they not only think well of him, but that they thought him the very best of gentlemen—the wealthiest, the most extravagant, the most admired in all of England. Having even the smallest stain on his reputation would be bad indeed! His preoccupation with Lady Florentina and their betrothal had made him forget about his requirement to society, he realised, a flush heating his chest. Yes, he wanted to be free of her, and that had become his primary concern, his sole focus. But was not his true desire for all of society to look up to him? To shed the lingering shadows of the past and present himself as the greatest of all gentlemen, second only to the king?

Quickly, he changed his expression to one of amiability. “You must forgive me. I am being very cautious indeed, because I do not recall whether or not we have been acquainted before, and I am sure you recognise that a gentleman must do all he can to protect the lady's reputation.” Putting his hands behind his back, he inclined his head and put a smile to his face that he did not really feel. “I must assume that we are already acquainted, for I am sure that such a fine lady as yourself would not have dreamed of coming to speak to a Duke had we not had a previous acquaintance.”

The first lady nodded enthusiastically, though the second remained a little austere, as though she were uncertain of his motivations and sought to preserve a little more distance.

“Of course, Your Grace, I quite understand, for you are a Duke after all. It is of no surprise to me that you cannot recall how many people you have been acquainted with, given that there must be so many coming to shake your hand.” She bobbed a quick curtsy, her blonde ringlets bouncing around as she did so. “Lady Dinah. My father is the Marquess of Wrexham. I am sure that you recall him even if you do not recall me.”

“Lady Dinah, of course. Yes, I do recall now.” If he were to be entirely truthful, Samuel could not remember this young lady at all, but refusing to acknowledge this to either lady, he bowed and then turned to the second. “Might I beg your patience with me also?”

The second young lady tilted her head, observing him. “Lady Sarah, Your Grace. We were introduced last season, though our conversation was only brief.” She cast a quick glance towards her friend. “We were certainly not well enough acquainted for us to come directly to speak with you. You must forgive my friend’s enthusiasm.”

“Your Grace, how very… interesting it is to see you in the park this afternoon.”

Just as Samuel had been about to reply to Lady Sarah, another voice, a more familiar voice, spoke to his left. He turned sharply, a slight stutter catching his lips as he looked into the sharp eyes of Lady Florentina. “Lady Florentina, good afternoon.” Uncertain as to why she had come to speak with him, Samuel did his best to hide his surprise, lifting one eyebrow. “I am sure you cannot think it surprising for a Duke to be taking a turn around the park, especially when the fashionable hour is upon us very soon.”

“Oh, it is not that which has me a little surprised.” Lady Florentina tilted her head. “I am quite certain that you informed me you would not be much seen in society this Season and that I would not often be in your company. It now appears that you are more than interested to be involved in society, given that I have not only seen you at a ball but now also out during the fashionable hour.”

Before Samuel could speak, Lady Dinah spoke up. “I am greatly surprised to hear that the Duke has informed you of his plans this Season, Lady Florentina.”

Was that a note of jealousy Samuel heard in her voice? He could not be sure, but rather than pleasing him, it unsettled him.

“Why should he speak to you in such detail? I did not think that you were closely acquainted.”

“Then you are mistaken” Lady Florentina did not say anything more to Lady Dinah, but instead turned her attention again to Samuel. “Is there some reason that you have decided to push yourself into society again?” There was concern flickering in her eyes, and Samuel's stomach twisted. Had Lord Crawley said something to her? Yes, he had every intention of spying on Lady Florentina in the hope that Lord Allington would do what he had intended, but if Lord Crawley had remained silent, then he now feared his presence was causing Lady Florentina to become suspicious of him, and that was not at all what he wanted.

He shrugged. “I have changed my mind. That is all”

Lady Dinah put a hand on his arm, making Lady Florentina’s eyebrows lift.

“I think it's highly irregular, improper and rude for you to demand such things from the Duke.” Lady Dinal drew herself up as though somehow she was Samuel's protector, making him a trifle embarrassed. “I think it would be best if you were mindful of the questions you are throwing at such a highly titled gentleman. After all, the Duke of Dartmoor is an excellent gentleman, is he not? He has a great deal of wealth to his name with one of the highest standings in all of England and many in society know of his reputation. I can only put your questions and brutish manner down to your lack of propriety, Lady Florentina. There can be no other explanation.”

Samuel did not know what to say. Lady Florentina’s mouth had opened a little, clearly astonished at the way Lady Dinah was now coming to Samuel's defence. He realised that he ought to be delighted with what Lady Dinah had said given that this was the standing he wanted everyone in society to hold him in, but to his surprise, there came no pleasure with it. Instead, he felt utterly mortified that Lady Dinah had spoken so and, looking into Lady Florentina’s eyes, he saw doubt and confusion dancing across her expression. Rather than delighting in it, rather than feeling himself glad that she was so displeased and confused by such a situation, Samuel’s heart squeezed painfully and he moved a small step away from Lady Dinah, so her hand fell away.

“I was about to take a short turn around the pond. Lady Florentina.” Entirely uncertain why he was about to voice the suggestion in his mind, he gestured to the path, ignoring the surprise which spread across Lady Dinah's expression. “Perhaps you might like to join me so that you can air all your concerns in private? We will, of course, remain in sight of your sister and mother at all times. I can see that they are sitting on the grass over there, at Lord Allington and Lord Barlow’s picnic.”

Something shifted in Lady Florentina’s expression though, after a moment, she lifted her chin. “How very gracious of you, Your Grace” Her words dripped with irony, and Samuel gritted his teeth, ignoring as best he could the wave of anger which coursed through him.

He narrowed his eyes a fraction. “Do you wish to join me or not?”

Lady Florentina studied him a moment longer, then, with a nod to Lady Dinah and Lady Sarah, walked ahead along the path. Samuel, choosing not to give another word of explanation to either of the other two ladies, murmured a word of farewell and then followed after her, his heart beating a little more quickly than before. Exactly what he was doing in walking alone with Lady Florentina, he could not quite say but something in her expression had made his heart painful, and he wanted that feeling to dissipate as quickly as possible.

“Well?” The moment he came to join her, she turned to him, her steps slow but her words fierce.

“It is as I have said to you.” Knowing that he was lying to her, Samuel ignored the prickle of conscience that ran down his spine and shrugged his shoulders. “Now that I am here in society, I have found myself eager to be a little more present within it. There is nothing more to it than that.” He looked at her sidelong, and then returned his gaze to the path. “I do not think I have to explain myself to you, however. Lady Dinah is correct to state that it is a little impertinent of you”

Lady Florentina snorted and rolled her eyes. “As though I care what Lady Dinah has to say of me.” Turning to face him, she looked at him straight in the eye, coming to a dead stop. “After all, she is not the one betrothed to you. I am”

As he looked back at her, as the gentle summer breeze whispered through his hair and the sun warmed his skin, something shifted in Samuel's heart. It was almost an imperceptible shift, but it happened nonetheless, and he could feel its intensity. It was as though there was a sudden warmth within him towards the lady standing before him—something that he had not experienced before within her company.

It terrified him and yet there was nothing he could do about it. His whole being seemed to soften; the tension that he had experienced only moments before no longer there. It was as though he were seeing her for the very first time, as though he saw her just as she was, and not as he knew her to be. Taking in the beauty of her eyes and her hair, his gaze dropped to her lips. They were flat, pulled into a thin line, but there was still a beauty there, nonetheless.

Samuel’s throat tightened, struggling against the sudden change within him. Lady Florentina continued to look at him with the same expression, but as silence settled between them, it slowly began to change. Her frown sat a little heavier, her eyes began to dot around his face as though she might find an answer as to why he had fallen silent. And still, Samuel did not speak.

“If you have nothing more to say on the matter, Your Grace, then you may as well accompany me back to the picnic.” Lady Florentina spoke rather abruptly, folding her arms over her chest as she narrowed her gaze a little. “It seems as though you are quite determined to have your way, regardless of what it is you have said to me previously.”

Opening his mouth to speak, Samuel shut it again almost immediately thereafter, astonished to find that he had no quick defence to make, no harsh reply to fling back at her. It was as though his very being would not permit him, wanting him to speak kindly instead of with any sort of disdain.

Stranger still, he found his arm lifting, offering it to her as she stared at him, her expression now one of utter astonishment. Then, with a lift of her chin and a slight flounce in her step, she ignored his offer and walked straight past him directly.

And all Samuel could do was watch after her.