Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

“ H ow are things with the unattainable spinster?”

Allan smiled at Lady Rebecca, and she grinned back at him flirtatiously. Ordinarily, he might have spent the whole party with her. She was very beautiful, after all, and he liked a lady who was willing to flirt. The two of them could have some fun together, he supposed.

But he decided against it. He had told Lady Edwina that, for the duration of their dates, he would cease to involve himself with other ladies, and it seemed only fair to hold to his word.

Besides, what Lady Rebecca really wanted was some gossip, and he could indulge her in that. “I’ve been enjoying her company,” he said.

“Have you really?”

“That surprises you?”

“No gentleman ever enjoys his time with her,” Lady Rebecca pointed out. “Everyone knows the way she is. The way she treats gentlemen. I would have thought she would have sent you from her sight by now.”

“Well, she hasn’t,” Allan said. “She must like me more than you think she does.”

“You may be imagining things. The unattainable spinster never likes anyone!”

“Well, I’m not just anyone,” Allan argued.

“No, I suppose you’re not.” Lady Rebecca giggled again. “I suppose if anyone was capable of winning her over, it would be you.”

“That’s right,” Allan agreed, pleased to know that his plan was working. People’s regard for him was increasing.

Not that Lady Rebecca was the perfect duchess he sought. Far from it. She was great fun and lovely to look at—though her looks didn’t compare with those of Lady Edwina, he couldn’t help noticing. But Lady Rebecca was nowhere near serious or intelligent enough to be his duchess. She wasn’t that kind of lady.

But if she was paying more attention to him than she previously had, that meant that others were likely to do the same. Everything was going perfectly. Spending time with Lady Edwina was having exactly the effect he had thought it would.

“Where is she now?” Lady Rebecca asked him, looking around. “I would have thought she would be here today. She likes this party.”

“Does she?”

“She attends every year, and everyone knows she has more fun than she does at any of the high-profile balls,” Lady Rebecca confided. “She truly enjoys herself here. She’s like a different person.”

“I hadn’t realized that,” Allan said truthfully.

“She is planning to come, then?”

“Yes, she’ll be here. She should be arriving at any moment.” He smiled at Lady Rebecca. “I suppose I’ll have to increase my efforts to ensure that I show her a wonderful time. I expect this party to be the very best she’s ever experienced.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll be more than capable of giving her that, Your Grace,” Lady Rebecca giggled. She moved ever so slightly closer and leaned in to whisper to him. “The truth is that every lady here wishes she were on your arm today!”

“Is that so?” Allan raised his eyebrows. It was just what he’d wanted, of course, and just what he had hoped to hear.

“Yes,” Lady Rebecca said. “And if you’ll pardon me…I don’t understand why you waste your time with someone you know doesn’t intend to marry! Everyone knows you’ve committed to five dates with her, but none of us can understand the reason why. Isn’t it a waste of your time?”

“I don’t consider my time to be wasted at all,” Allan replied. “My reasons are my own. But rest assured, I am very happy with my decision to spend my time with Lady Edwina.”

“Well, when your five dates come to an end,” Lady Rebecca said, “I’d be more than happy to take her place. And I do wish to marry someday, so I’m sure I’m more like what you’re looking for.”

It was a very forward thing to say, but Allan didn’t mind when ladies were forward. It didn’t offend him. He knew, though, that what Lady Rebecca was suggesting would never come to pass. He would never be interested in her, not in any serious way.

Not wishing to embarrass her, he simply smiled and said, “Your flattery is too kind, Lady Rebecca.”

“I meant every word.”

“Will you excuse me? I believe I see Lady Edwina arriving.” He separated himself from her and walked toward the front of the lawn, where guests were still making their way into the party.

Allan saw Lady Edwina arrive and felt a quick rush of excitement and admiration. She really was beautiful. It was always so wonderful to see her. His first impulse was to rush over to her and compliment her on her appearance. He also felt an additional urge, strangely, to take her in his arms.

His second impulse was that he was going to have to get that feeling under control, and quickly. He didn’t want her to know that he was feeling this way about her. There wasn’t supposed to be anything real or serious between the two of them. And when he looked at her now, the feeling he got…he was afraid it might be something real.

The next thought that came to him was a lack of recognition of the gown she wore.

It wasn’t the one he had sent to her for today’s party. The one he had chosen had been the very latest fashion, and it had been a pale lavender color that he’d believed would be lovely on her. He had looked forward to seeing it. But instead, she was wearing a blue gown that, while it was quite lovely, was one of last year’s fashions.

She’d rejected the gown he had sent her in favor of something old?

Why wasn’t she wearing it?

He was sure the size had been correct. He had sought Lavinia’s advice before making the purchase, and she’d been only too happy to let him know what would fit her sister. Something else must have been wrong—but what?

She approached him and smiled up at him. There was something bitter in that smile. It wasn’t the one he was used to. “Good day, Your Grace,” she said. “A fine day for a garden party, wouldn’t you say?”

“I would,” he allowed. He watched her hesitantly, wondering where this was going to go. She was clearly up to something.

“Do you like my gown?” she asked, turning this way and that so that he could admire it from all angles.

She was a tease, acting so innocent about it when they both knew perfectly well that she had worn that gown deliberately to make some sort of point to him. The only question was what she was trying to say. “Didn’t you like the one I chose for you?”

“Not very much, no.”

“Ah,” he said. “The wrong color?”

“The wrong gift.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you understood me better,” she said. “You’re the gentleman who bought me a gift of books. I liked the books very much. But to send me a gown? What were you trying to tell me? Do you dislike the clothes I choose for myself?”

“Of course not. What sort of a question is that?”

“I don’t know what to think, Your Grace. If you purchased a gown for me, I can only assume you must want me to wear it.”

“Certainly, I won’t deny that.”

“And if you want me to wear that gown—well, I struggle to understand the reason,” she said. “You must think that the gowns I wear of my own accord are substandard in some way. You must not like them.” She turned a circle, causing her skirt to flare slightly.

Allan caught his breath.

This was maddening. She was beautiful. She was doing this to tease him, and he knew it. He wanted her to stop—and at the same time, he badly wanted her to continue. He found it hard to admit it, but he was enjoying this little game of theirs.

“You don’t like my gown,” she said, finishing her twirl. “Admit it.”

“I won’t admit to something that isn’t true.”

Her eyes flashed. “Just say it,” she said. “Enough games. Just say the truth. You think I’m not capable of handling things on my own and that you have to do it for me.”

He was stunned. “Where is that coming from?” he asked. “What would make you think such a thing?”

“Well, explain to me why you bought the gown,” she said. “Because I don’t know what kind of game you’re trying to play by doing that.”

“Does everything always have to be a game?” Suddenly, without warning, he felt angry. “I wanted to get you a nice gift. Can’t it be as simple as that? And you couldn’t even wear it. You’re doing that to spite me, aren’t you?”

“Not everything I do is done with you in mind,” she said.

“Well, that’s apparent.”

They were quiet for a moment, neither of them speaking.

Lady Edwina looked away, watching a group of people who were starting up some sort of lawn game. Allan couldn’t tell what the game was going to be. He thought of asking her whether she wanted to go and play—but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If there was something she wanted to do, she ought to simply ask for it. He would be more than happy to oblige her if she did that.

It was odd, feeling this frustrated with her. She had never made him feel this way before. He had always enjoyed their banter and the back-and-forth nature of their conversations. But she was acting differently today. It wasn’t as if she found him vexing. It was more like she genuinely disliked him.

Suddenly, he wasn’t enjoying her company anymore. The game no longer entertained him. And as he looked at her, he understood the reason why.

It was because she wasn’t playing this time.

She hadn’t ignored his gift out of a desire to vex him. It was something else.

She was genuinely upset with him. And that was a difficult thing to accept—but it wasn’t something he was under any obligation to accept.

In spite of that, he couldn’t quite bring himself to simply turn and walk away from her. Their time together had come to mean more to him than he had realized, and he didn’t want it to be over. He wanted to fix things between them—if only he could figure out how.

“What’s the matter with you today?” he asked her.

“What?” she shot back. “Because I didn’t wear your gown, that means something is wrong with me?”

“No, never mind the gown. I don’t care about the gown,” he said. “It’s the way you’re talking to me today, Lady Edwina. It’s as if you want nothing to do with me.”

“I’ve been clear in the past about wanting nothing to do with you. Is today really any different?”

“Yes, it is,” he said. “In the past, it has always felt like there was some fun to the way we talked about this. Some banter. Today, I think you’re angry with me for even being in your presence. I thought you opted not to wear the gown I sent you to provoke me, but that’s not it. It’s because you’re genuinely bothered by something. And I think you ought to tell me what it is.”

She looked at him for a long moment.

“Very well,” she said. “But not here. Not where everyone can hear us.”

He nodded. “We’ll walk down to the river,” he suggested. “We can talk there without being overheard.”

He started walking down the lawn without waiting to see if she would follow him, and after a moment, he was rewarded by the sight of her running to catch up.