Chapter 10

Simon returned from his ride with the imitable Lord Anthony and went in search of Grace at once. He had trusted his sister's judgement of the Earl of Thistle's character, but extended the invitation for a morning ride shortly after Grace informed him of her suitor so that he might ascertain the man's personality for himself.

He had been pleased by the resulting conversation. Lord Anthony, though perhaps a little awkward and ill at ease in social settings, was a man of few vices and many fine attributes. They spoke easily of politics and sporting events, and the gentleman seemed to know his own mind, as well as to possess an unusual heart of compassion for the lower classes.

This last point, in particular, impressed Simon. Even amid the gentlemen of the ton he considered to be good-hearted, it was rare to find someone in the House of Lords who thought of the poor as their legitimate responsibility.

At the close of their excursion, Simon had invited Lord Anthony over for cards later that week.

"I don't gamble," the tall gentleman said, almost apologetically. "I know, I know. I've been told it's a terribly unattractive quality in a gentleman."

Simon had laughed outright at that and, after clarifying that the card game in question would not involve any gambling, said, "Perhaps others find your restraint ill-fitting, but it strikes me as the mark of a wise man."

He left his horse in the stables and went in search of Grace. She would want to hear how everything had gone, and he was eager to tell her now that he had a good report to share. The butler informed him that Grace had gone out on a walk with Lady Isabella in the adjoining park, and so he set out to find them together, his step quickening at the thought of seeing Bella.

Her presence in his home over the past two weeks had brought him increasing happiness. He feared, after their initial meeting in the garden, that she would be nervous in his presence or desirous to avoid his company. Instead, she seemed to forget the meeting had happened at all. She seemed pleasant enough when around him, although guarded as ever. Sometimes he longed to reach out and shake her shoulders gently, to wake her from whatever reverie she'd been put into while studying in Ireland. Come back to me, mischievous little lass, he thought, on more than one occasion.

But that was not his place, and it would not win him her affections.

He spotted Grace and Bella walking ahead of him towards a group beneath a spreading willow. They talked briefly with a figure there, then sat down together on what looked to be a spread of blankets amid the guests. He would have preferred to see them alone, but when Grace raised a hand in greeting, he could not think of a reason to excuse himself.

As he neared, however, and saw the full list of guests in attendance, he regretted approaching at all.

Not only were Lord and Lady Collingwood present, glowering at him, but there was some foppish gentleman mooning at Bella's elbow and…Amelia. She saw him first, her gaze fixed on him so firmly that he felt almost like a fish being drawn in on an invisible line. She looked as serene and poised as ever, but there was something predatory in her eyes.

"Mr. Lyndon," Lord Collingwood called out as he drew to a halt beside the blanket. "What a surprise to see you here."

"How convenient that you happened upon us at this precise moment, when we are all settled in for a comfortable afternoon of companionship," Lady Collingwood said, her voice tight with disdain. "One would almost think you knew about the engagement ahead of time."

"And what of it, Mother?" Bella asked with a forced smile, all politeness. "If Mr. Lyndon should have happened by at this exact moment by chance, then shouldn't we thank the universe for its gift?" She turned and smiled at him, kind but restrained. "You are a welcome addition to our party, Mr. Lyndon."

He would have felt more warmed by her words if they had not been delivered so politely—as though she would have extended the same courtesy to any other person stumbling on their festivities.

He bowed. "I came in search of Grace, that is true," he said. "But I can return at another time."

"No," Grace said, looking uncomfortable. "I was about to head home anyway. I'll walk with you."

"Nonsense!" Amelia spoke for the first time, her right eyebrow arched in amusement. "You simply cannot go so soon, when you have only just arrived. It is tantalizing to dangle your company and then pull it away at the last moment."

"Yes, I forgot," Lady Collingwood said, visibly relaxing. "You and Lady O'Mara are acquainted, are you not, Mr. Lyndon?"

Simon couldn't keep himself from glancing in Bella's direction. After setting her straight in the garden as to his relationship with Amelia Lafleche, they had spoken no further on the topic. The ton was still gossiping about his brief connection with the widow, however. He wondered if Amelia herself was at the root of the rumors.

Bella, for her part, showed no sign that she had heard her mother's words. Instead, she raised her eyes to Simon and offered calmly that he take a seat at her side. "Do sit," she said quietly.

He did so, but only because he found it difficult to refuse her anything. The stares from her parents, the suspicion from the gentleman at her side, and the look of intensity in Amelia's eyes all made him want to flee the scene.

"We were just thinking of getting a game on," Amelia said brightly. She leaned back a bit on her embroidered pillow and fixed him with a watchful eye. "You'll join, I daresay?"

The man between them, who had yet to introduce himself, leaned forward and extended a hand bedecked with rings in greeting. "I am Lord Bryce," he said. "I don't believe we've met."

"No, you wouldn't have met," Lord Collingwood said quietly, implying with a heavy-handed smile that Simon and Lord Bryce could not possibly have run in the same circles. Simon, however, knew differently in an instant.

"I thought you looked familiar," he said, briefly shaking the other man's hand before settling himself on Bella's other side. "Were you at Lord Gilmore's house party two summer's past? I believe we exchanged a few words there, and, if I remember correctly, you were a favorite in the gentleman's lounge when it came to cards."

He could see at once that this was not a memory the other gentleman enjoyed. Lord Bryce looked a little ill. "I didn't fare very well at that house party, I'm afraid," he said. "There was a card shark in their midst, and I'm afraid I became rather a victim of his skills."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Simon said, meaning it.

"Such is life," Lord Bryce said, waving his hand. "When one is situated as I am, one can afford to lose big every now and again." He shot a look in Bella's direction, and for the first time, Simon realized the purpose of this entire picnic. Clearly Lord and Lady Collingwood wished their daughter to fall into the good graces of a wealthy aristocrat.

Bella did not catch Lord Bryce's look, but turned instead to Amelia. "Lady O'Mara," she asked. "What game did you have in mind?"

"Nothing too exciting," Amelia purred. "Just a little word game. What think you all of a game of Consequences?"

Lady Collingwood beamed. "A charming game," she said, "and very fitting for the present company."

Everyone else voiced their agreement, although Simon noticed that Bella seemed quiet, lost in thought. Amelia looked around the small circle, a smile curving her lips. "Does anyone have a bit of scrap paper upon which to write? Or a marvelous memory?"

Simon had both, the latter carefully cultivated for his work in espionage, but he was not about to own to the memory. Instead, he reached into his pocket and presented a small bound book and a charcoal pencil tucked into the inside cover. He was unconcerned that the contents of the book would give him away in any sense.

He always ripped out and burned pages that were in any way incriminating. What Amelia saw when she flipped open the notebook was a series of numbers and scribbled names consistent with the inside of any gentleman's ledger. She smiled prettily at him when he handed it over, but her eyes had the look of a hawk.

"Mr. Lyndon, to the rescue yet again," she grinned, pulling out the charcoal and tapping it daintily against the picnic basket near at hand to be sure no loose charcoal dust would dirty her dress.

"Again?" Lord Bryce asked good-naturedly. "Did he rescue you before?"

"No, but he is a dashing English soldier," Amelia teased, "so no doubt he spends most of his days saving damsels in distress. What is it, Mr. Lyndon, that you do for the King? Are you his most trusted confidant?"

He knew she was merely being flirtatious, but all the questions around his work made him uncomfortable. Simon adopted an air of nonchalance. "I do what any soldier does for the King, my lady. I fight his wars and endure the drudgery of enlisted life until I can return to good old England again."

"Drudgery?" she asked, arching a brow. "How very disappointing. I was hoping for something a bit more exciting."

"Then perhaps you should look to someone a bit more exciting," Simon responded casually. "For I shall always disappoint, I assure you."

Amelia flipped to a blank page with a shrug, and cleared her throat. "Well then, Mr. Lyndon, you should go first. Give me an adjective."

He looked at Bella and said without thinking, "Beautiful."

She did not see his glance, but Amelia must have, for a frown creased her brow before she said stiffly, "And Lord Collingwood, the name of a gentleman?"

He looked mildly bored before naming "Bryce." After that, Lady Collingwood chose the adjective "Amiable" and one of the young women Simon didn't know picked the woman's name "Emma," presumably, from the titters about the circle, her own name.

Amelia looked back at Simon. "Mr. Lyndon, it is your turn again. Choose a location."

He nodded at Bella. "Lady Isabella has not gone, nor has my sister."

Amelia looked at Bella as though she had forgotten the girl was there at all. "Oh, heavens," she sniffed, "You're so quiet that I hardly remembered to call on you. Very well, then, choose a location Lady Isabella."

"Ireland," she said, without hesitation.

Grace followed by choosing the purpose "to track down a villainous highwayman," and the game went on in a circle yet again. Near the end, Amelia asked Bella to name a consequence, as the game was titled, and Bella hesitated before saying uncomfortably, "a lost love." She did not turn her head one way or the other, but for the first time Simon saw her carefully crafted demeanor crack ever so slightly as a tinge of pink rose into her cheeks. His heart quickened. Who is she thinking of?

"Very well," Amelia said, after asking one final question of Lord Collingwood. "I shall read the result." She cleared her throat and picked up the notebook, reading as though giving an illustrious oration. "Beautiful Bryce met Amiable Emma—" a pause for titters as Lord Bryce and the girl called Emma exchanged blushing glances, "—at Ireland to track down a villainous highwayman." More laughter. Simon noticed that Bella did not join in, and he could not blame her. It was no amusing thing to string together phrases in a format they were not intended to fill.

Everyone else, however, seemed to be having a marvelous time. Amelia continued with some more nonsense about what Beautiful Bryce and Amiable Emma were getting up to before wrapping up the phrase with the final sentence. "She tripped over a frog and the consequence was she lost her true love." She paused and raised her eyes ever so briefly to Bella, something sinister flashing in their depths, before reading Lord Collingwood's final contribution. "And the world said, that is the way of things, when you risk it all."

The group clapped politely and giggled between themselves, but Amelia kept her eyes fixed on Bella. "You seem unimpressed, Lady Isabella. Is this not a game that interests you?"

Bella shook her head. "I've enjoyed myself," she said, clearly lying.

"Perhaps you don't see the wit in it?" the other woman pressed. "Perhaps you would like a game of forfeits instead or," she cast a significant glance in Lord Bryce's direction that brought a host of giggles from the young women sitting beside her, "Even better, a kissing forfeit?"

Bella stiffened ever so slightly. "I do not think that would be appropriate," she said quietly.

Simon knew she was speaking of her parents. Though kissing forfeits were innocent enough, they were the prerogative of the younger generation, who stole their little flirtatious kisses at intimate parlor gatherings and not in the full view of the rest of the park.

Amelia tossed her hair. "Heavens," she said. "You would simply fade away in France, Lady Isabella. Kissing forfeits are nothing compared to the pass-times I witnessed when I was there."

"Witnessed," Lord Bryce said with a teasing glance, "or took part in yourself?"

Bella looked at her suitor with an expression of annoyance. "Perhaps we should call an end to the games entirely at present," she said.

"Don't mind me," Amelia tittered. "I'm only having a bit of fun. Mr. Lyndon understands, don't you, Simon? He's used to my ways."

"I imagine he is," Lord Collingwood said drily, taking a long sip of wine before setting his cup aside and fixing Simon with an expression of disdain.

Simon cleared his throat and stood. "I'm afraid I've overstayed my welcome," he said, forcing a smile. "Grace, may I accompany you back to the house, or would you like to stay awhile longer?"

"No, please," Grace mumbled, clamoring to her feet. "I'll come with you."

They bid the group goodbye, and Simon thought for an instant that he saw regret in Bella's eyes as they walked away. When he and his sister were out of earshot, she tugged at his arm. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"Lord and Lady Collingwood do not fancy me," he said, stating the obvious.

"I could see that, but why?" Grace asked. "I know we have not spent much time around them since James' death, but I have never been treated thusly by them."

"It is a reason that remains between Lord Collingwood and myself," Simon said. He could not tell Grace without risking Bella one day learning the truth. "But I am afraid it is a matter that will not be soon resolved." He hesitated a moment and then said, hoping he sounded nonchalant, "Lord Bryce—has he caught Lady Isabella's eye?"

"You sound so formal," Grace laughed lightly. "You can call her Bella when you are with me, Simon. And no, I don't think so. She seems to find him cruel, and after that little flirtation that unfolded between him and Emma Cartwright, I expect he will drift off in search of friendlier skies."

"But her father—"

"Is relentless," Grace shrugged. "He has determined she will be engaged by the close of the Season." Apparently missing the distress this caused Simon, she brightened and said, "By the way, how was your ride this morning with Lord Anthony?"

Happy enough to turn to more pleasant topics, Simon devoted himself to singing the other man's praises. He only wished the change of topic could drive the thought of Bella's impending engagement from his mind for good.