A Marquis to Marry (6 page)

“In that case, a ride in the park with him will not be so bad.”

That’s the problem. It wouldn’t be bad at all.

“But you know I didn’t come to London to be drawn into Polite Society with all its rigid rules and fierce machinations. I have done that and have no desire to get caught up in it again.”

Mrs. Princeton rubbed the palms of her hands down the sides of her black dress. “It’s just a ride in Hyde Park, Your Grace.”

“In any other town or village, perhaps. Not so in London. It is more than that. The park is a place where the elite of Society gather to praise themselves and ridicule everyone else. Polite Society and the ton are nothing but organized madness.”

“And you must live on the fringe of that madness for a time, but don’t fret, Your Grace. I believe, in the end, you will convince Lord Raceworth to do the right thing by your family and return the pearls.”

Susannah remained quiet and thoughtful, letting her companion’s words sink in.

“Does your silence mean I should tell the marquis you are unavailable and ask him to make an appointment to come back at another time?”

Those fluttery butterfly feelings started in her chest again. Why did just the possibility of seeing him thrill her so?

Susannah looked at her companion and smiled. “Absolutely not. I’m going to look at this as an opportunity to have Lord Raceworth examine the documents I have. I shall take them with me.”

She walked over to one of the windows flanking the bed and looked out. From the second floor window, she could see the entire back of the marquis’s house and his expertly tended lawn. She must have stared at his house a hundred times since she had moved in a week ago. Occasionally, she had been tempted to sneak over in the late afternoon and smell the delicate petals of the fabulous pink roses that were the masterpiece of his exceptional garden, but of course she hadn’t dared invade his privacy.

The grounds of her leased house were in great need of care, with weeds, flowers, and shrubs growing haphazardly wild. Perhaps she would hire someone to make them lovely for her, and yes, she would get a pianoforte, even if she had to buy one. Playing music at the end of the day had always soothed her, even during her most difficult times. Since it appeared she could be in London for quite some time, she might as well make the house and grounds as pleasing as possible.

Lord Raceworth had asked her for a ride in the park, and she would go, but only because her mother was ill and wanting to reclaim the Talbot pearls for the family before she died. Susannah must keep that uppermost in her mind and forget that thrill of anticipation that curled low in her abdomen.

Feeling more confident, she turned back to Mrs. Princeton. “I realize now that I was naive to think the marquis would simply look at the documents, authenticate them, and give me the pearls so I can be on my way.”

Mrs. Princeton agreed with a nod and said, “So what are you going to do, Your Grace?”

“Whatever I have to,” Susannah answered. “I realize now, when mother asked me to do this, I should have insisted that our solicitor handle it. No doubt the marquis wouldn’t be playing games with a man. He would have accepted the documents to read, examined them carefully, and made an intelligent decision.”

“You can still turn this over to a solicitor, can’t you?”

Could she?

No matter her frustration, Susannah had found pleasure in sparring with the marquis. He was charming and challenging, and for the first time since she was eighteen, she was drawn to a man. She had enjoyed matching wits with him. She hadn’t wanted to be captivated by him, but she was. She hated like Hades to admit that to herself, and she would never admit it to anyone else.

“He would probably respect a man more than a woman,” she said to Mrs. Princeton.

“That is probable.”

“But no one can argue our rightful claim to the pearls as efficiently as I can, because I’m more passionate about having them returned to my family.”

Mrs. Princeton nodded. “You are your best ally.”

“I will accept his invitation and go for a ride in the park with him.”

Mrs. Princeton folded her hands together in front of her. Looking quite satisfied, she said, “I suppose you will, but there is one other good thing about this, Your Grace.”

“I can’t think what that might be.”

“Lord Raceworth is a handsome man and not an old or ugly one.”

Susannah laughed. “You are right about that, Mrs. Princeton, but I’m not so sure that is a good thing for me.”

“Of course, it is. You are still a young and beautiful woman. You need to be interested in a dashing young man like the marquis. You need to remarry and have children.”

“This is not a conversation I want to have with you today, Mrs. Princeton.”

She took a step back and said, “My apologies, Your Grace.”

“Accepted. Now go tell Lord Raceworth that I will be down in an hour. Make sure you give him a cup of tea with a sprig of mint in it, and whatever kind of tart or sweet cake you have in the kitchen.”

“An hour, Your Grace?” her companion questioned.

“Yes. He will understand that it’s the same amount of time he kept me waiting when I was at his house and in far less generous surroundings. If he’s going to play my game, he is going to find out that he must use my rules.”

Four

My Dearest Grandson Alexander,

After having met and known many men during my long life,
I can attest to what Lord Chesterfield says here: “A man of
pleasure, though not always so scrupulous as he should be,
and as one day he will wish he had been, refines at least
his pleasures by taste, accompanies them with decency, and
enjoys them with dignity. Few can be men of pleasure, every
man may be a rake.”

Your loving Grandmother,
Lady Elder

A
S SOON AS
S
USANNAH’S COMPANION WAS GONE
, she took a deep breath and plopped onto the chair at her desk. She was annoyed yet relieved. She was pleased Lord Raceworth had finally come but rather frustrated that she must bow to his wishes for a ride in the park.

Susannah had to do something other than be anxious while she waited until time to meet the marquis, so she changed into a pale pink dress with a sensible bodice, trimmed with delicate white lace at the neckline and high waist. She fastened a delicately styled ruby necklace around her throat and added matching earrings. She reworked the chignon at her nape and rubbed lavender-scented lotion on her hands and face.

When the hour was up, she squared her shoulders, lifted her chin, and took in a deep breath before entering the small, sparsely decorated sitting room. The marquis rose from his chair and bowed. Her breath caught in her throat, and she went still.

He was too handsome for words with his rakish long hair and impeccable dress. If possible, the overthe-knee Hessian boots he wore made him look all the more powerful, more roguish, and more handsome than when she’d first seen him in more formal attire. She couldn’t keep the dizzying beat of her heart from pounding.

She quietly cleared her throat and said, “My lord, this is a surprise.”

His eyebrows drew together while a half grin lifted one corner of his mouth. Cautiously, he said, “Is it really? I thought you issued an invitation for me to stop by for a visit.”

She willed herself to relax and be natural, even though his charming manner didn’t make that easy. All of her senses were on high alert.

Calmly clasping her hands in front of her, she said, “I issued an invitation for you to stop by and view the documents I have, showing my family’s ownership of the Talbot pearls, not to invite me for a ride in the park.”

He faked a frown as his generous lips curved into another slight grin. “Ah, I must have misunderstood. I didn’t remember there was a qualifier attached to your invitation. But it is a beautiful afternoon, and my carriage is outside, complete with a basket filled with wine, cheese, and curried apples. What do you say?”

Her resistance melted like spring snowflakes in the April sun. “I say, what lady can resist curried apples? I’ll get my cape and parasol and, of course, the very important documents, in case you decide you would like to review them while we are out.”

“Fair enough.”

The marquis followed her to the vestibule where Mrs. Princeton was waiting with Susannah’s outdoor things, including a pink velvet drawstring reticule with several sheets of rolled papers sticking out of the top. At the carriage, Lord Raceworth took hold of her gloved hand and helped her step up and into the curricle. His grip was firm, masculine, and a tingle of something wonderful radiated throughout her body.

She made herself comfortable on the far side of the seat and neatly arranged the skirts of her dress while he climbed up beside her.

She popped open her dainty parasol, which was trimmed with pale pink flowers and ribbons to match her dress. Years ago, she learned that the parasol was good not only for keeping the sun off her face, but she could easily lower it from one side to the other so that it would be impossible for anyone to see her face when she passed by. She had no plans to do that today. She had no idea if anyone would remember her fall from grace twelve years ago. She had been gone so long that it was probably foolish of her to think anyone would recognize her at all, or that they would point a finger of shame at her if they did.

Susannah had told herself for years that she could no longer be hurt by Polite Society, and that was still the case. She had paid her debt to the unforgiving upper class by marrying the duke.

The marquis was right. It was a beautiful day, and she was delighted to be out of the house and in his company. Spring had been long in coming to England this year, but it had finally arrived. The wide expanse of blue sky didn’t have a cloud in sight. The air had lost its chill, and there was a clean and fragrant scent to the breeze. The trees and shrubs had fresh green leaves covering their branches. Signs of spring were everywhere, and all indications were that winter had disappeared.

Lord Raceworth picked up the ribbons and released the brake handle. He clicked the ribbons on the horses’ rumps, and the two bays took off with a jerk, jingle, and a clank of harness. Rather than guiding the horses along at a brisk pace, he had them walking along the streets of Mayfair as if they had all day to dally rather than only half an afternoon.

As they rode along, Susannah remembered the last time she traversed the streets of London in an open carriage. She was with the man she loved, and at the time, thought he loved her. Suddenly she shivered.

“Are you all right?” Lord Raceworth asked.

Susannah looked over at the marquis, and somehow she knew he was nothing like Lord Martin Downings. She smiled at Lord Raceworth and confidently said, “Yes, I’m fine.”

And she was. She hadn’t intended for it to happen when she came to London, but just the same, she was doing more than just trying to recover the pearls for her mother. She was exorcizing some old ghosts that had haunted her for years. It had taken time, but she had finally forgiven herself for being young and foolish. She was ready to forget the past, forget the last time she was in London. She was no longer a young miss with a tender heart.

“You’re very quiet,” he said after they had ridden in silence for a while.

She looked at him from underneath the parasol. “So are you.”

“Me?” He threw her a questioning glance. “I thought I was being considerate. I got the impression you wanted to be alone with your thoughts.”

“I was simply enjoying the afternoon ride.”

“You know, for a few moments back there at your house, I thought the dour Mrs. Princeton was going to come with us.”

A smile came easily to her lips. “Really?”

“It crossed my mind when I saw her waiting by the door like a Roman guard with your cape and gloves in her hands.”

Susannah laughed and felt herself completely relax. She said, “She is entirely harmless. Don’t let her intimidate you.”

A grunt that sounded very much like a swear word passed his tempting lips. “The day will not come that I let her discourage me,” he said.

Chuckling, Susannah said, “Would it have been so terrible if I had intended my companion to come with us?”

“No, but…” He paused and grinned. “I would have taken it to mean that you were afraid to be alone with me.”

She stared at him with an easy smile, enjoying their playful conversation. “I am not an innocent miss who has never been alone with a man before, my lord. Why would I be afraid to be with you in an open carriage?”

He shrugged lightly and said, “Because I can tell that you don’t want to be attracted to me, but you are.”

Susannah protested with a soft laugh. “Why am I not surprised to learn that you think so highly of yourself?”

“Because you knew my grandmother, and you’ve read Lord Chesterfield’s letters. But I spoke the truth, and you know it. And I know you can see that I am definitely attracted to you, too.”

This engaging man beside her was entirely too perceptive, but she wasn’t willing to let him know that. “I don’t believe I know anything of the sort, my lord.”