Chapter 24

Thomas could think of an infinite number of more pleasurable pursuits than joining Lord Ardenridge and the rest of the ton at a picnic. Although Thomas had taken to attending more of the ton's functions than he usually did, this had not changed his opinion of most of the aristocrats. Most of them were as superficial as he remembered them being, save for a few like Samuel.

His friend at least knew he was a little ridiculous, and he seemed to enjoy adopting the guise of the charming and slightly eccentric Lord Worthington. It was little wonder that the theatre and the actress Loralie so besotted Samuel; Samuel himself sometimes acted as though his entire life was a stage, and he was forever an actor playing the role of a proper man.

Thomas had come to the picnic because he hoped to see Lady Victoria. Although he did not trust Lady Norwood, her words had nevertheless left an imprint on his thoughts. What if he had misunderstood the situation? Lady Victoria had seemed rather receptive to his advances, had she not? He did not want to believe Lady Norwood, but when he thought about Lady Victoria's scandalous behaviour, her explanation did make some sense. More than he wanted it to, at least.

"McCallister!" Samuel exclaimed, cheerfully waving him to where he was seated.

They had gathered in a park owned by Lord Ardenridge. A pavilion had been erected for them, and Lord Ardenridge's staff hovered nearby, where food-laden tables had been erected for the occasion. Two young ladies were laughing and playing cards with a small number of gentlemen. Further away, a group of gentlemen was gathered around a tree.

Thomas stood too far away to hear their conversation, but he suspected that they were about to engage in some mischief. His eyes continued, sweeping over the crowd until he found Lady Victoria. Clad in a flowing white gown, she stood beside Lord Ardenridge and his mother. Thomas' jaw clenched.

"Are you not going to greet me?" Samuel asked, lips twitching in amusement. "Is Lady Victoria's beauty so charming that you have forgotten how to speak?"

Thomas snapped his head towards his friend and tried to force down his growing embarrassment. "Hardly. I am sorry to disappoint you."

"I am not disappointed. I am no less immune to the charms of a beautiful woman than you are."

"No," Thomas replied.

He paused, considering telling Samuel about the conversation with Lady Norwood, but there was really no need for it. Thomas intended to confront Lady Victoria about her stepmother's words. He suspected that if he confronted Lady Victoria unaware, she would be more likely to tell him the truth. Thomas dearly hoped the truth was that Lady Norwood had lied to him.

If it was not …

No, it must be that Lady Victoria's stepmother had lied. He knew that. He trusted that deep down. This was only making certain that he understood everything correctly. This was being meticulous and doing due diligence, as any man ought to do. He had not kept his father's business prosperous by leaving anything to chance, and he certainly could not do the same with his potential future bride.

Before Thomas could think of any specific plan to approach Lady Victoria, however, the young lady turned and saw him. He saw a delicate flush rise to her cheeks, and his heartbeat quickened. She looked so lovely standing there beside the young Lord Ardenridge, who did not seem to realize that Lady Victoria had turned her attention away from him.

He liked to think that it was because she loved him, desired him. However, he could not deny that—that the gesture could very well have been just what Lady Norwood had suggested. Lady Victoria might simply be a rakish woman who had decided that Thomas would be her next conquest.

"Well, it seems that she is happy to see you, also," Samuel said lowly, oblivious to Thomas' plight. "Shall we?"

Samuel did not even wait for a response before grinning and setting a quick pace towards Lady Victoria and Lord Ardenridge. Thomas grimaced and followed. If he did not, there would surely be questions about why, and he would be unable to avoid giving his friend some answers. Thomas doubted that he would be able to bring himself to lie either, which would mean that he would have to be truthful.

Lord Ardenridge's mother left, her attention seemingly taken by another lady who was arriving. Thomas did not recognize her; he knew far less of the ton than he really ought to, given his position.

"Lord Bedford," Lord Ardenridge greeted. "I am pleased that you could join us on this beautiful day."

Thomas forced a smile. "As am I."

Lady Victoria's eyes focused on his face, her soft gaze seeming as though it could tear him asunder and see all the way down to his very soul. He fought not to show how she affected him. "Lady Victoria," Thomas greeted mildly.

She seemed confused as if she already sensed that he was displeased with her. Thomas inwardly grimaced. He had never been a man who was adept at hiding his emotions.

"I have not had the pleasure of your company in some time," Lady Victoria said.

She framed the question innocuously as though they were acquaintances who saw one another often and nothing more than that. Nevertheless, Thomas understood everything unspoken in that comment. He had not visited the theatre since that conversation with Lady Norwood, and it would be reasonable for Lady Victoria to make note of his absence.

"I have been rather occupied with business," he said smoothly. "It is difficult to manage any company, but especially one as profitable as my father's."

"And my father's," Lady Victoria said.

"Indeed."

"But we do not need to speak of business today, surely?" Samuel asked. "We are here to find enjoyment in the sun and company, are we not?"

Thomas forced a smile. "You are right."

It was not as if he could confront Lady Victoria in the company of Samuel and Lord Ardenridge anyway. Thomas clenched his jaw. You need to do better, Thomas thought. You need to be polite and stop indicating so obviously that there is something amiss.

"Shall we?" Lord Ardenridge asked, gesturing towards the path which cut through the delicate gardens of gently sweeping grass and spots of colourful flowers. "I find that there is little which stirs the imagination more than the beauty of nature. Ever since returning from the continent, I have sought to find again the feeling I did when I first saw the Alps. They are such glorious mountains."

"Indeed."

Lord Ardenridge offered his arm, and Lady Victoria hesitated. Her eyes darted towards Thomas, doubtlessly expecting him to offer the same. When he did not, Lady Victoria smiled and curled her hand gently around the crook of Lord Ardenridge's elbow.

As they began to walk, Samuel leaned close to Thomas. "What are you doing?" he murmured so lowly that Thomas barely heard him.

"Nothing," Thomas replied just as softly. "I do not wish to appear rude."

Samuel cast him a vexed look. The man opened his mouth like he meant to say something further but then seemed to think better of it. Lord Ardenridge and Lady Victoria continued around the bend of the path. The weather was truly lovely, and Thomas might have enjoyed it if it had not been for the awkward situation.

Perhaps he was being cruel in his treatment of Lady Victoria. Thus far, he had no proof that she was guilty of any wrongdoing. Still, he found it difficult to reign his emotions in and to hide them away. If Victoria truly was a rake like her stepmother said, he did not think he would ever recover.

His heart clenched just thinking about it. Would it not be a grave injustice if, after denying himself the comforts of women for so long, he finally found a woman who made his heart sing with desire and made his blood burn within him, and she turned out to be false?

"I think I should like to see the Alps," Lady Victoria said. "I feel as though I have seen very little of the world, and I would always welcome more inspiration from the natural world."

"Indeed," Lord Ardenridge replied. "There is nothing like being one with the beauty of nature to make one's mind alive with the most wonderful possibilities."

Thomas tried to pretend as though he were invested in the conversation, but more than anything, all he wanted was to confront Lady Victoria. Beside him, Samuel had fallen quiet. Thomas couldn't know what his friend was thinking, but the man surely noticed the tension coming from him. There were some disadvantages to having friends who knew you very well.

Thomas could endure this no longer. He must find some means of which to separate Lady Victoria from Lord Ardenridge so they could speak frankly about Lady Norwood's allegations. How was he to accomplish that? Silently, he cursed himself for not offering Lady Victoria his arm when he had first joined them. It would be much easier for him and Lady Victoria to sneak away unnoticed if it were not for Lord Ardenridge, who guided her along the path.

Thomas cleared his throat. "Samuel was just telling me about his own travels on the continent."

Samuel looked at his friend in obvious surprise, but he concealed it quickly beneath an enthusiastic nod. "I was, indeed!"

"I think you and Lord Ardenridge would have much to talk about regarding the travels," Thomas continued.

It was a transparent attempt to distract the gentlemen and draw their attention to one another so Thomas could hopefully have Lady Victoria"s company for himself.

"And," Thomas continued, "I have heard that Lady Victoria has a great interest in the theatre. As it happens, I also am interested in theatre, so perhaps we might speak about that at length."

He waited to see if his suggestion would be accepted and if it would be taken how he wanted. It seemed as if Lord Ardenridge was hesitant to relinquish Lady Victoria's arm, however. He cast the lady a doubtful glance as if he feared upsetting her.

Samuel chuckled and offered Thomas his own dubious look. "Well," Samuel said. "I thought that I might be an excellent poet if I put my mind to it, but I would have nowhere to begin with such a pursuit. Perhaps, Lord Ardenridge, you could tell me something about the poetic arts and how you find such inspiration among nature."

At this, Lord Ardenridge appeared taken aback. In just a few moments, Thomas had seen more emotion on that man's face than he had in their entire acquaintanceship. Despite Lord Ardenridge's surprise, a bright smile eventually crossed his face. "I would be delighted to speak to you of poetry," he said.

"Excellent," Samuel replied, making what appeared to be an earnest attempt to sound delighted with the prospect of speaking to Lord Ardenridge.

"Then, I shall walk ahead with Lady Victoria," Thomas said, "and we can discuss Shakespeare and the theatre."

Lord Ardenridge nodded and hesitantly released Lady Victoria's arm. She looked nonplussed as he. Placing her hand on Thomas' arm, the two began to walk ahead. Behind them, Thomas could hear Lord Ardenridge already talking about the great poetic verses he had created and how being a poet was so fulfilling and yet so torturous upon one's soul.

"What is the matter?" Lady Victoria asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Thomas asked.

He knew that she had noticed his strange behaviour, but he wanted to see what she might say in response. Did she suspect anything? Looking at her face, he saw nothing but innocence, and guilt stirred within him. Perhaps he was being too hasty. Perhaps he had handled the situation poorly and with less grace than he should have. But a man could hardly be blamed for acting a little irrationally, could he, in circumstances such as these? It took all his might to force away the image of Lady Victoria astride him, her face flushed and her eyes bright with the throes of passion. His pulse jumped when he recalled that soft way she moaned when she was nearing her release.

"You are acting odd," Lady Victoria said, her voice low.

Thomas suspected that she did not want Samuel and Lord Ardenridge to overhear their conversation. "I do not know why, but you seem to be upset with me," Lady Victoria said.

"We must find somewhere private to speak."

"You are good at finding private places."

He was, but unlike their last few private conversations, this one would not be nearly as enjoyable.