Chapter 20

Grace's wedding was a triumph. Bella found herself standing by with tears in her eyes as she watched her long-time friend and confidant join hands with a man worthy of her heart. The crowd at the chapel was quite small and intimate—nothing like the large group of guests waiting for them back at the wedding breakfast—and Bella could not resist looking across at Simon during the vows.

She had not spoken to him since his return, though she was well aware he was back in town. She did not expect him to call on her, not after their most recent conversation. The memory of it made her blush even as she stared at Simon's profile. He seemed wholly fixed on his sister's nuptials and unaware of her presence. After a few seconds, she looked away.

After the ceremony, the couple led their guests out of the chapel and into carriages waiting in the street beyond. Everyone was to travel back to the Lyndon house for a meal and dancing before Grace and Lord Anthony left for the honeymoon. As Bella prepared to climb into her carriage, she felt the sudden warm pressure of a hand on hers, supporting her step. She turned and saw that Simon was helping her up.

"Mr. Lyndon," she said, inclining her head in acknowledgement. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Bella," he said softly, in a voice not even her parents could hear inside the carriage.

Bella's heart pounded in her chest. She was properly balanced now on the step, but did not go the rest of the way inside. She did not want to release Simon's hand. "Simon—" she began, her voice a whisper.

"Later," he said, and was gone. Her hand felt warm where he had touched her.

She arrived at the Lyndon house with her heart pounding in her throat. Lord and Lady Collingwood had little to say on the ride over, and she was relieved. She needed a moment alone, or a moment with Simon—she wasn't sure which. When she disembarked however, she realized that she would get neither.

Lord Ramsgate was waiting just outside. It was clear that he had arrived prior to the other guests and waited particularly for Bella's carriage. She pushed back a feeling of annoyance and forced a smile.

"Lord Ramsgate," she greeted him as he helped her from the carriage. "What a pleasant surprise." She resented the way he held her hand, as though his touch was erasing Simon's.

"It should never be a surprise if you find me at your side, Lady Isabella," he said gallantly, pushing back a lock of dark hair and smiling up at her with a rakish grin. "I am your servant, as always. I will forever be seeking you out in a crowd."

Bella could hardly think of anything worse than a life of being "forever sought out" by Lord Ramsgate. She was grateful when Lord and Lady Collingwood, delighted to find Bella in conversation with their chosen suitor, stepped in to manage the conversation on her behalf.

They chatted more easily with Lord Ramsgate than they had ever spoken with her, pulling him near and asking about all the goings-on in London while Bella stood quietly to the side like a forgotten piece of furniture.

Grace and Anthony rolled up in their carriage at that moment, to the cries of welcome, and handfuls of flowers tossed out at their arrival. Grace was beaming and beautiful as she descended the carriage. Her gaze fell on Bella, and she whispered something in Lord Anthony's ear before hurrying to her friend's side.

"Please excuse me a moment," she said to Lord and Lady Collingwood, "but I must steal my dear Lady Isabella away from you. I shan't keep her long, but you know how we brides are on our wedding day—we simply must be spoiled rotten."

Lord and Lady Collingwood hid their annoyance well, and Lord Ramsgate made some quip about the fickleness of a woman as Bella allowed Grace to pull her to one side. "What do you need?" Bella asked earnestly. "Is all well with your groom?"

"Oh, quite well," Grace beamed. "I've never been happier. I only thought you looked a bit trapped and saw a chance to rescue you."

Bella sighed. "This is your wedding day, Grace. You need not be over-concerned with my welfare on a day devoted to yours! Please, return to your husband and know that I am quite at ease in my current situation."

"With your parents and Lord Ramsgate?" Grace asked, arching an eyebrow. "I think not."

"Since when are you against Lord Ramsgate?" Bella asked. "I thought you considered him a worthy match."

"I've had a change of heart on the matter," Grace answered in a low voice. "But I'm afraid I can't explain it all here. I do have something I need to give you, though, before the festivities snag me away from you. I must not forget."

"I'm sure there will be time," Bella reassured her.

"No, there might not be." Grace tugged at the piece of lace on her flower bouquet and a small missive tumbled out. "This is for you," she whispered. "Don't let your parents see. And for heaven's sake, Bella, don't hesitate."

Bella tucked the paper away without reading it. She would have to wait until she was alone before she could examine the contents. "You are being deliciously mysterious," she teased her friend. "I cannot account for it. Is this what Lord Anthony brings out in you?"

"Lord Anthony is responsible for a good many pleasant things in my life," Grace responded wryly, "but my mischief and trickery is always traced back to you, Bella."

She squeezed Bella's hand and hurried away back to her husband's side. Bella watched her go, everything in her itching to escape and read the cryptic letter Grace had given her. Before she could, however, she heard a familiar voice at her elbow.

"I see the bride has released you from your duties for the time being," Lord Ramsgate said. "May I claim a moment of your time?"

Bella saw her parents walking ahead of them into the Lyndon house. "Only a moment," she hedged. "I can see that the feast is about to begin."

"Allow me." He extended his arm, and Bella took it hesitantly. "I hear they have a pleasant garden out back."

"Alright," Bella acknowledged, "but only for a moment. I do not wish Grace to feel abandoned."

"The bride seems well cared-for," Lord Ramsgate said, pulling Bella alongside as he sidestepped the main marble staircase and went down a path into the townhouse side gardens. "I'm sure she could spare you for a few moments."

The garden gate closed behind them, and Bella felt immediately isolated. It was not entirely proper for her to be alone with any man, much less one that had made his interest so clear. She pulled her hand away from his arm and took a generous step away, glancing nervously up at the windows of the house for fear some gossiping servant might be peering down at them. No one was in sight.

"My lord," she chose her words carefully, "we ought not stay away too long. I would not wish people to get the wrong impression about our friendship."

Lord Ramsgate gave a wry laugh. "Your modesty does you credit, Lady Isabella. Many young women in your situation would not think twice about a few stolen moments with a suitor."

"And what is ‘my situation,' exactly?" she asked, making an effort to keep her tone light and pleasant.

"Why, a lady with a gentleman who has clearly declared for her," he answered without hesitation. "A lady who is as good as promised to a man such as myself."

His outright assumption took her breath away. The gall of the man, she thought, biting her lip to keep a slew of sharp words out of her mouth. "I beg your pardon, my lord, but I was unaware of any understanding between the two of us."

"Perhaps not in so many words, my love," Lord Ramsgate said, coming forward and catching up Bella's hand in his before she could pull away, "but certainly I have been clear enough in my intentions. As any woman in London and she will tell you that I do not give my affections away easily—the last few weeks should have been evidence alone of my undying love for you, my lady."

"Any woman in London?" Bella asked sweetly, stalling for time. "My, how did you manage a reputation with so many of the fairer sex, Lord Ramsgate?"

He blushed a little, taken aback. "I did not mean to imply anything untoward."

And yet he had. Bella could have guessed enough without Lord Ramsgate's slip of the tongue, however. She had seen the women in his retinue and knew that he enjoyed having a bit of fun during the evening. Such philandering would have wounded her if she cared at all about Lord Ramsgate's affections, but as it was, she knew that her own heart did not belong to the future duke. She could hardly fault him for entertaining other loves when this entire conversation found her mind turning again and again to Simon.

She tried a different tack. "I have certainly noticed the time and attention you have given to myself and my family," she said politely. "I am grateful. But—"

"Do not equivocate, my lady," he said, pressing her hand tighter in his own. "Merely be grateful."

"But," she said, more firmly, "there has been no talk of an engagement. I do not consider myself a promised woman, and you should not consider yourself a betrothed man."

A smile spread across Lord Ramsgate's pale face. Bella could see that she had stumbled into some sort of trap. "You are so right, my lady. There has been no talk of an engagement. Allow me to remedy that now."

Before she could protest, the foppish man dropped to a knee and drew Bella uncomfortably close by pressing her hand fervently to his lips. When he released her at last and looked up into her shocked face, he spoke with all the reverence and drama of Lord Byron himself. "Since I first laid eyes on you, Lady Isabella, I have known that you are the most beautiful creature in the world. I simply cannot risk being parted from you. I know it may seem sudden, but love and matters of the heart are not subject to the constraints of time—as your dear Miss Lyndon has proved just this day. Please, be mine. Marry me. Make me the happiest man in the world."

Bella felt a sudden dizziness sweep over her, followed by a wave of nausea. Not promising symptoms when staring down a proposal, she thought wryly to herself. If she didn't feel so trapped, she would have smiled.

"Please, Lord Ramsgate, rise to your feet," she pressed him, tugging at the hand he still held quite ardently in his grasp. "I am quite at odds with you kneeling thusly."

"Always so attentive to my needs," the pale man said, beaming at her as he climbed back to his feet. Her hand, she saw, was still imprisoned in his. "That is one of a thousand reasons why I love you, my dear."

"You say too much, my lord," Bella blurted, a blush heating her face. "Please, give me a moment…" she needed to think of a solution—some manner of escape from the nightmare that was now unfolding in front of her. "You mentioned the time available to us." She fell on a solution at last. "Sadly, you are correct—I consider this courtship far too hurried. It is too soon to agree to marry you, Lord Ramsgate."

"Not for me," he proclaimed boldly. "I have known since the day—"

"You first set eyes on me, yes. You mentioned that." She passed her free hand over her brow and found there a tiny sheen of sweat. "But I am not so certain. You must allow that a young lady such as myself needs time to know her own heart. I am confident that a gentleman like you, so well-acquainted with the finer points of romance, understands that there is no rush in matters of the heart. If your affections are as true as you proclaim them to be, then a few more weeks is only a short time to wait."

"A few more weeks?" Lord Ramsgate said, blinking away his surprise. He had clearly not expected her to turn him down. In fact, Bella was beginning to wonder if this gentleman had ever been turned down before. He had the confidence of a man who was used to being praised and unfamiliar with rejection.

"Or so," she hedged, unwilling to commit. "I need some time to think."

"But, my lady—" he was at a loss. "What is there to think about? I am the heir to a dukedom. I am rather well-liked in the ton. I might even deign to say women find me generally charming and handsome."

And you have a very developed sense of your own worth, she thought, biting back her annoyance yet again. "My need for time has nothing to do with you, my lord," she said softly. "It is a matter of knowing my own heart, and that is not something you can determine for me."

Lord Ramsgate released her hand at last, stepping away from her and gathering the shreds of his dignity about himself. "I will of course allow you time, my lady, but know that I will not be able to wait forever. I would not want you to look back on this opportunity with regret one day."

"I assure you, I do not intend to regret this conversation," Bella said, putting on a sad smile.

"You must excuse me," her suitor said, flustered as he took his leave of the garden. When he had gone, Bella stretched the hand he had gripped, relishing the freedom. His pale grasp had been clammy and suffocating.

She took a steadying breath. For now, disaster had been averted. She was rather surprised that Lord Ramsgate had come to her in the first place, rather than approaching her father. It was either the actions of a lovesick man—as he claimed—or there was something else in play.

Could it be that Lord Ramsgate had need of her family connections? Urgent enough need that he would throw himself at her feet in an untidy proposal to hurry the process along? She would need to learn more.

She took the moment alone to slip Grace's note out of her sleeve and unfold it in the dappled garden light. What she saw scrawled on the page shocked her so much that the entire conversation with Lord Ramsgate seemed to fade into her periphery.

Bella,

Grace promised to deliver this where your parents could not intercept it. I will explain why when we next see each other. Meet me tomorrow afternoon in Hyde Park. I must speak with you.

Yours,

Simon