Artful Deceptions (16 page)

“No doubt.” The irony in Locke’s voice was heavy as he watched her pour the tea. He had to admire the way she had so rapidly recovered her equilibrium after his rash appearance this morning. Although he rather preferred seeing her shining tresses down about her shoulders, he appreciated the effort she had made to brush them into proper order for his return. And the gown she wore emphasized the flush of rose in her cheeks when she became aware of his scrutiny.

As much as Galen adored Melanie, he knew she made no more attempt to please him than she did her brothers. The casualness of their acquaintance had been what appealed to him, but Galen was intrigued by the idea of a woman dressing just to please him. “But I would not risk your wrath if it can be avoided. I have already botched one proposal this week. I would rather do this properly.”

Arianne’s head snapped up at this remark. “What has my wrath to do with your proposal? It is Melanie’s wrath you must incur if you go to her again so soon.”

Galen lounged back in his chair and sipped his tea while he watched the color fade from her cheeks and the irate sparkle dance in her eye. Perhaps Arianne was the practical cousin, but she was also the more volatile one. She would lead some man a pretty dance. He set the cup on his saucer and donned his most casual pose.

“I said we must talk. I suppose doing so over a pleasant cup of tea rather than a dirty breakfast table is some improvement, but I cannot help but feel it would be better if we met over a dinner for two with bouquets of flowers scattered about. Since the irregularity of such a meeting rules it out, I suppose I must settle for what is allowed. Will you listen without getting angry first?”

“I can think of no reason why I should be angry with you, my lord. You have made my day tremendously easier by your timely appearance. I am more than grateful, as a matter of fact.”

“Good. Then we can start by you calling me Galen, for I fully intend to call you Arianne from now on.” He smiled at the sharp look she sent him. “And you’re already angry with me. I am beginning to know you, it seems. I think before the summer is over we should know each other a little better.”

Arianne gave him a level stare. “I think you had best speak your mind before I think you have lost it. Has Melanie actually accepted your proposal, then?”

“Don’t sound so surprised. Am I truly that reprehensible a suitor?”

Arianne felt her shoulders slump as the tension drained out of them. Perhaps there was a twinge of disappointment at the same time, but she could not imagine why. She lifted her cup and eyed him cautiously. “Certainly not, but to Melanie I had rather thought you earned that position. I hadn’t thought she was so capricious.”

“She isn’t. I have had a long talk with your cousin Evan and I mean to have a brief one with your father, but I shan’t make the same mistake as I did with Melanie. I will consult your wishes first.”

Arianne’s hand froze in midair. “My father? What does my father have to say to anything?”

Galen leaned over and gently removed her cup to the table. “He is the one I must consult if you agree to our betrothal.”

Shock paralyzed her. Arianne could plainly see the clarity of his gray eyes as they regarded her with some semblance of patience and kindness. She could see the stiff folds of his cravat, somewhat the worse for wear for his tumble with the boys. She recognized the wealth represented by the tailored coat stretching over his broad shoulders and the gold watch fob across his waistcoat. She just could not fully register the words this godlike creature had just spoken.

“I suppose silence is better than instant rejection,” Galen admitted wryly as he waited for some response. His first instinct was to lean back in his chair and cross his leg and wait casually as if he hadn’t a concern in the world. But as Evan had so succinctly pointed out, that pose was a cover for his anxiety, and it wouldn’t serve him well now.

He didn’t wish to fail in this endeavor, so he exerted himself to the point of rising from his chair and crossing to Arianne’s side of the tea table. That placed him awkwardly hovering over her, and Galen was forced to find another alternative. Bended knee was more than he bargained for, but he managed to crouch at her side as he took her hand. “Will you give me time to explain myself?” he asked quietly.

The touch of his hand jarred Arianne’s breath loose, and his position was so absurd that she had to submit to her sense of the ridiculous. Despite Lord Locke’s casual elegance, he really was a rather large gentleman, and his nearness upset her equilibrium to no small degree. Cautiously, uncertain of her ability to speak, Arianne answered, “I am certain you have a good explanation, but I would prefer you give it from somewhere else other than the floor, if you would.”

Galen grinned and removed a cat from beneath her chair before standing up. “The floor gives one a new perspective on life. I think I shall try it more often, but only if you care to join me. I was never allowed to romp about the floors when I was a lad, you know. And I would never have found cats under the furniture if I had.”

As the cat in question stretched and butted his head against Galen’s chin when he sat down, then curled up and returned to snoring in his lap, it was hard to believe his claim. Lord Locke appeared perfectly at home with the animal. Arianne couldn’t imagine another gentleman who would be the same. Guiltily she remembered Rhys, but she knew so little of him that she could not imagine his reaction to a cat in his lap. Or perhaps she could, he would no doubt not notice the creature at all.

“I cannot feature a boy who does not spend at least half his time crawling about the floors. You must have been an exceptional child. But if you feel your childhood has been neglected, you are welcome to crawl about our floors as you like. I will hand you a polishing cloth while you are down there.”

Galen scratched the cat behind its ears and felt more than heard the vibrations of its purrs. He was beginning to enjoy this inane conversation, but he didn’t think he could keep it at this level for long. He had to make his proposal and he had to make it convincing. He had never made any real attempt at being serious before. Miss Arianne Richards was bringing out any number of new talents in him.

“I did not mean to startle you earlier, but I am still new at this business of proposing. I know you warned me that I should be using roses and kisses, and probably moonlight, but that did not seem quite the thing after what you overheard the other day. Besides, I am well aware that you do not look at me through romantic eyes. I would make a cake of myself in truth if I came to you with bouquets and candy. So, clever person that I am, I thought I would relieve you of the responsibility of your siblings for a few hours to impress you with my dedication.”

Arianne could not help but smile at this ingenuous admission. She didn’t dare believe a word of it, but he had succeeded in diverting her dismal thoughts for a while. And despite his wealth and elegance, Galen Locke did appear quite at home in their dull little parlor with a cat ensconced comfortably on his lap. “You have successfully impressed me beyond your wildest dreams, my lord. I cannot think of another gentleman willing to shoulder such a burden, including my own father. He tolerates the boys well one at a time, but all at once is more than he can deal with.”

Thinking of Ross Richards’ absentminded view of the world, Galen could very well understand that. He would no doubt misplace the youngest and allow the others to dismantle whatever room they were in before he noticed the destruction. Quite pleased with his success in that direction, he dared continue. “There, you see, I have something to recommend me besides the elegance of my attire. Would I not make an exceptional husband?”

“Undoubtedly. You need only ask every woman in London to find yourself a harem. Only Melanie is willful enough to turn down a suit such as yours, and I expect she’ll come around soon enough. She’s the baby of the family, you know, and she’s still a little young to know her mind.”

That wasn’t the direction he intended, and Galen made a wry face. “You are determined to lead me astray, aren’t you? I cannot say I blame you, for I find it deuced awkward to explain myself, but I had better try to make myself clear.

“I care not a fig for all the other women of London. I have amused myself among them for some years now, and there’s not one of them I would care to meet across the breakfast table for the rest of my life. I will admit that Melanie amuses me enormously, and I had thought we should suit, but she does not agree.”

He hesitated, as if groping for words. “I am near six-and-twenty and have not been ready to take a wife until now; I can’t see why a woman should be any more ready than I at only eighteen. If Melanie is as much like me as I assume, she may not be ready to settle down for years. Perhaps you are not either, but I think you are more mature than Melanie, and you are better able to see the opportunities I can provide. And I have already had a glimpse of you over the breakfast table, and would certainly not object to many more.”

“Glimpses?” Arianne raised her eyebrows, still unable to take him seriously. “If we limit ourselves to glimpses over the breakfast table, we should go on famously, I daresay. I could tolerate Satan himself for all that mattered. Do be serious, my lord, and tell me why you really came.”

Exasperated, Galen flung the cat to the floor and crossed the room to pull Arianne from her chair. “My name is Galen, and I have come to ask you to marry me. A long betrothal is agreeable, if you will. May I kiss you now to prove my sincerity, or must I wait until you give me your answer?”

The front door thumped as someone entered, and Arianne didn’t have time to remove her hands from Galen’s before her father ambled into the room. He fumbled for his spectacles as he discovered the two of them together in the dimly lit chamber, and coughed to clear his throat before speaking.

“Thought that was your equipment out there, Locke. Come to speak to my daughter, have you? Have you determined your price for the Titian? I’m willing to be fair with you.”

“The Titian?” Arianne tried to tug away, but
Galen
held her firmly. She looked from her father
to the
enormous oil filling the far wall of the parlor,
then
back to Galen. Of all his paintings, the Titian was
the
last she would expect her father to sell.

Her aghast stare stirred Locke into action. “I have not had Arianne’s answer yet. I think, perhaps, it would be best if we all gave ourselves time to think about this. I would suggest a brief sojourn to my father’s estate, won’t you agree?” This question was addressed to the man in the doorway, for Arianne didn’t seem prepared to comprehend the question, much less the answer.

“Couldn’t let Arianne go without the proper chaperone, but a small visit might be of advantage,” Richards agreed vaguely. “Your parents will no doubt wish to meet the girl you mean to affiance. Yes, I can see that might be best. Don’t want any more of these affairs like my sister’s. I’ll not see my daughter hurt.”

“Papa!” Arianne gave a plea for time to think, but she could see the men were involved in some battle of wills that did not concern her. Galen squeezed her fingers reassuringly, but she wasn’t reassured. She finally pried herself loose to face her father. He was not a man to talk directly to the point at the best of times, but surely she could not misunderstand what he was saying now.

Galen returned his gaze to her. “My father’s estate is not far from Bath. Part of the land includes a spectacular piece of coast. We also have a town house in Bath. Your mother might choose whether she prefers sea air or the waters. I know I am asking an enormous amount from you. My parents are not easy people to know, but I would have them accept you into the family. If you still feel we will not suit, we can call it off before any public announcement is made. Am I not being reasonable this time?”

“Reasonable?” She stared at him with a mixture of rage and astonishment. “I see not one jot of reason in any of this. You have both gone quite mad.”

Arianne’s eyes widened as both men continued to stare at her without comment. It struck her then what they had done, although she could not discover the rhyme or reason behind Locke’s part in this. Somehow, they placed her in the same position as her father. If he must sacrifice his painting, could she sacrifice just a small part of her pride to play the part of Locke’s intended for a month or so under the most pleasant of conditions? She knew they were asking no more than that. She was not meant to be the wife of a nobleman. But the pretense would give her mother a comfortable rest in the country for a time long enough to recover.

It would be unreasonable of her to refuse. Wondering how she would ever explain this to Melanie and Rhys, Arianne sadly lifted her eyes to her father’s and nodded. “I will do as you wish.”

Chapter Thirteen

At Arianne’s insistence, Melanie was included in the large party traveling by coach, carriage, and wagon to Bath. Evan contributed his traveling coach for the comfort of Mrs. Richards, Arianne, Melanie, and Lucinda. Galen’s landau suffered under the bouncing of three young boys and the Richardses’ lone maid, Meg. A hired wagon carried a large quantity of luggage and two small, hairy dogs which alternately snarled and sniffed at one another, and a further, smaller carriage was engaged to carry various other maids, valets, and pets. Galen and Mr. Richards sensibly chose to ride alongside the entourage.

Arianne hid her agitation at her mother’s awed acceptance of her daughter’s eligible suitor. The invalid’s coughing spell had passed after a heavy rain, and she was up and about again, but her pale face had gained a new radiance with every mile they traveled into the country. It was enough to keep Arianne silent, even beyond Melanie’s questioning looks.

Melanie’s acceptance of her cousin’s prospective betrothal to her own suitor caused Arianne even more concern. She had tried to explain that Locke and her father were simply upholding their equal prides by this foolish arrangement, but Melanie seemed more interested in returning to an area considerably closer to Rhys’s home than London. But whenever Melanie tried to show her concern for Arianne’s unusually impetuous decision, Arianne changed the subject. Her own feelings didn’t matter if she could return her mother’s health.