CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

Giff was admitted to Worthington House by the butler. "Good day, my lord."

He wanted to run a finger under his cravat. For the first time, it occurred to him that if anyone knew Alice had summarily rejected him, he might not be allowed in. "I would like to see Lord Worthington."

"I shall see if he is available." The man left without showing Giff to a parlor. Could it be that Worthington meant to refuse to see Giff? Before his thoughts went any further, he was mugged by a young Great Dane with a lead trailing from her mouth.

"Miss Posy," a footman said as he hurried after her. "You must give me the lead."

Ignoring the servant as very young aristocratic ladies were wont to do, "Miss Posy" leaned against Giff and begged to be stroked. Unable to resist her beseeching brown eyes, he complied and managed to get the leash away from her and hand it to the beleaguered looking footman.

"Thank you, sir." He attached the line to the dog's collar.

Other than at his mother's family house, he'd never seen large dogs living inside a house. Especially a London town house. "Does this happen often?"

"Only when she decides to be naughty." The servant gave Miss Posy a hard look and Giff could have sworn she batted her eyes at the man. Although, she did switch her attentions to the servant for the desired pats.

"You're a fickle lass." She turned to Giff again.

"Miss Posy," the butler said as he entered the hall. "Be a good girl and go for your walk. Master Zeus is waiting for you." Once the footman had taken the dog away, the butler glanced at Giff. "My lord, if you will please wait in the parlor, his lordship will be with you in a few minutes."

"Thank you." He handed the butler his hat, followed him to a well-appointed room off the hall, and made himself as comfortable as he could while he awaited his audience with Worthington. He almost wished the man would just give his approval and tell Alice of his decision, but Giff knew that was not likely to happen. Montagu had already informed Giff that Worthington had said it was Lady Eleanor's choice. Harry Stern had been told the same thing when he'd asked to wed Lady Madeline. What Giff hoped he'd gain from this was Worthington's permission to ask Alice to dance twice in an evening. Mamma had been right when she'd said dancing was the best way to charm a lady. Then again, nothing he did seemed to charm Alice. Never one to back down from a challenge, he was determined to find out what was on the list and charm her right into their marriage bed. The door open, but it was not the butler. He rose as Lady Mary, Alice's youngest sister, slipped into the room leaving the door partially opened.

Why the devil was she here? A sense of dread slithered down his back. "Has he sent you to come to get me?"

"No." Her long braids swung as she shook her head. "Matt is with someone else at the moment." She tilted her head and gave him a knowing look very much like her eldest sister, Lady Worthington's. "I am here to offer you assistance."

He was about to scoff. After all, she was still in the schoolroom, but who would know Alice better than her sisters? "About what?"

She perched on the chair, and he resumed his seat on the small sofa. "We do not like Lord Normanby. There is something smoky about him." Cant from a schoolroom lady? "Theo and I pray daily that Matt will discover something is wrong with him." Lady Mary narrowed her eyes. "We both have a bad feeling about him. Even Posy does not like him."

That was bad. He'd only just met her, but she seemed like a dog who would take to anyone. Suddenly, Giff knew with whom Worthington was meeting. "He's here with your brother."

"He is." The girl's dark blond brows rose. "Now, do you want to hear what I have to say, or am I wasting my time?"

Good Lord! She sounded like Lady Bellamny. How old was she? "Yes. I wish to listen."

"Good." Still keeping her back straight, she seemed to settle more deeply into the chair. "You need to become Alice's friend."

Giff had never had a female friend. "How do I do that?"

Lady Mary appeared as if she'd like to roll her eyes. "How does one become anyone's friend? You do things with her that you both enjoy. You are there to listen to her when she needs to talk. And you are there to help her when she requires it."

"I can't very well take her to Tats or meet her at a club or coffee house." Giff knew one thing he and Alice would enjoy, but it would involve getting her into his bed.

"No, of course not." Lady Mary let out what sounded like an exasperated breath.

He dragged his thoughts back to what she most likely meant. "Go shopping?"

"That is one activity. Many gentlemen do enjoy shopping with ladies. You do read?" The last part was said with a high degree of skepticism.

"I do. Naturally, I read." Although, he'd never read any of the romance novels of which the ladies were so fond. And currently he was wading through books on estate management.

"Have you read Anna Maria Porter? Alice enjoyed her latest book and is looking forward to reading The Village of Mariendorpt quite a lot. She has also read the American author James Fenimore Cooper's Precaution. It was interesting in that it tried to copy the works of more successful English female authors."

Giff had heard of the book. "I thought that was written by a woman?"

Lady Mary waved her hand as if it was of no importance. "It was originally published under a pseudonym. The point is that you could read it and discuss it with her. She also likes Miss Austen's books. Such a shame that she died."

He had the feeling she was not only mourning the woman, but the books that would no longer be forthcoming. As to Fenimore, Mamma had enjoyed Precaution. He could borrow her copy. "I could discover which other books she likes." They still rode together in the morning. "That's a start, I suppose."

"I assume you must know something about running an estate. Alice is very interested in the subject." Lady Mary turned her head sharply, and there was the sound of someone entering the hall. "And no hyacinths. She is allergic to them. I must go."

Damn him for an idiot. He didn't even know the flowers Alice liked. He hadn't ever bothered to find out.

Lady Mary left the parlor as quietly as she had entered it. From the hall he heard her say, "Good morning, my lord."

Giff went to the door to better listen to what was being said. Something told him the girl had a plan.

"Good morning." It was Normanby, and he grumbled at her. That was not well done of him.

She, on the other hand, sounded cheerful. "How did your meeting with my brother go?"

"As well as it could, I suppose. Although, why anyone would allow a lady to choose her own husband is beyond me."

Giff wished he could see Lady Mary's reaction to that.

"It is a family tradition." There was a bite in her tone. "Just as there is a tradition of keeping our family close even after one marries."

"I must suppose that would depend upon who one marries."

"Not at all. Have a good day."

The door closed, and the butler entered the room. "My lord, his lordship will see you now."

When Giff followed the butler into the hall, Lady Mary was gone. What she had said about the family maintaining close ties struck him. He'd seen it at the breakfast he'd attended. If he wanted Alice, he had to be prepared to accept the rest of her family as well. Even the children. Especially the children. Blast it all. He should have asked Lady Mary about the list.