Pascale Duguay (12 page)

The Earl walked Cecilia only to the end of the terrace before disengaging his arm and leaning against the balustrade.

“Your gardens are so beautiful, my lord. Why don’t you show me around?”

“I am afraid that is not possible. My assistance may be needed here to solve last minute problems. But I am sure one of the many
available
gentlemen present will be happy to escort you.”

“How could you get yourself engaged so?” Miss Arlington pouted, dropping all of her earlier pretences. “I thought you and I had an understanding!”

“As I never made a formal offer for your hand, then your expectations were precipitous, were they not?”

“Come now! Do not deny that you had considered the possibility of a union between us!”

“I do not. But circumstances have decided otherwise.”

“I knew it! Your hand has been forced! Oh, I do not deny that Miss Bingham has a certain charm about her, but her parentage alone would be enough to chase away any sensible suitor, especially you!”

“My reasons for offering for Miss Bingham need not concern you. I will be obliged to you if from now on you will treat my future wife with all the respect due to her position.” Julius bowed and returned inside to mingle with his guests.

Miss Arlington narrowed her eyes at his retreating form.

“Humph, future wife indeed! That remains to be seen, my lord!”

Patience stood in front of the cheval mirror staring at her reflection. She had never worn such a fabulous garment in all her life. The gold ball gown was cut low in front, the square neckline exposing a large portion of her pale, rounded breasts. Its high waistline was gathered at the front and embellished with a white silk bow, the ends of which dangled down to her knees. White lace trim adorned her short, slim sleeves and the bottom of her dress, from which peeped gold slippers.

Her red tresses had been pulled back and piled on top of her head, allowing a few tendrils to escape down the sides of her face softening her features and making her startlingly green eyes stand out even more.

“You look magnificent, Miss Patty!” her maid exclaimed. “But you should go down now. You don’t want to be late for your engagement dinner!”

Patience’s stomach tightened. To have all those curious and speculative eyes trained on her for the length of a ten-course meal was enough to make her want to make a bolt for it. She had had quite enough of it already since the guests’ arrival earlier that afternoon.

At least they would not be able to find fault with her social graces. She had Miss Thimble to thank for that. The old governess had made sure her pupil had learned her lessons well. If only she did not allow her temper to run away with her, the evening should go without a hitch.

A knock sounded at the door, forcing her mind back to the present. Trudy opened it, revealing Julius’ tall figure clad all in black except for the intricately tied cravat at his throat and matching white shirt. Patience held her breath as she stared at him. She had never seen Julius in formal attire before. His whole being resonated with a mixture of strength, elegance, and masculinity. No wonder Miss Arlington, who had likely seen him dressed this way at countless balls, was so obviously unwilling to relinquish him.

“You look absolutely charming tonight,” Julius said, looking at her from head to toe.

“Th-Thank you, my lord,” Patience managed to utter once she remembered to breathe.

“May I escort you down to dinner? I believe it will soon be announced.”

“Certainly, my lord.”

After they stepped into the hall and the maid had closed the door on them, Julius stopped to gaze at her. “I prefer when you call me by my given name. May I call you Belinda?” A boyish smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, making him appear much less imposing all of a sudden.

Patience relaxed a little at his teasing. “You may call me whatever you wish in private, Edward! But I think you should refrain in public. It might be too confusing for our guests.”

“I agree. Then let us go down, Patience!”

“Certainly, Julius!”

They walked down the steps leading to the foyer arm in arm, then on to the main salon where the guests had gathered awaiting the dinner bell. All heads turned at their arrival. Julius nodded at several of them but kept walking, steering them toward the couch where Lady Rutherford, her aunt and her father sat chatting.

“How beautiful you look, dearest!” Louisa exclaimed when Patience made her curtsy. “I knew that shade of gold would bring out the colour of your hair and eyes to perfection. Isn’t she adorable, Robert?”

“Certainly! You outshine them all tonight, daughter!” Lord Bingham stood to kiss her cheek and whispered for her ears alone, “I am sure Sir Rupert would agree with me.”

Patience stiffened, forcing a smile on her face. She would have to watch out for her father tonight or else she might forget her resolve to keep her temper in check and end up tipping a bottle of champagne over his head. She was rescued from these very undutiful thoughts by the ring of the dinner bell.

Julius escorted her to her seat on his left across from his mother. Thankfully, her father was seated further down the table so conversation would be impossible between them.

On her other side was Charles Wilbury, who introduced himself as Julius’ best friend. “That is,” he amended, “when the fellow does not decide to disappear into thin air, renege on his promise to provide support during an especially unpleasant ordeal, and get engaged behind one’s back to the most beautiful damsel in the land!”

Patience giggled at the last statement. “I thank you for the compliment. Although from the many beautiful faces I have seen today, I am afraid you are greatly exaggerating.”

“Not at all! You may trust me on this. I am famous for my expertise on the matter.”

Julius, who from the head of the table had not lost a word of their conversation, intervened. “I am afraid Charles is quite right, even if it does not do him credit to boast of it, for you must know that he is reputed to be a sad rake.”

“I may be a rake, but you cannot accuse me of going back on my promises!”

“You must not blame Julius,” Patience broke in. “The blame should be laid at my door since it is my fault that he missed his appointment with you. I hope his absence did not cause you undue trouble?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I still quake at the memory! You see, my great-aunt has decided that nothing will do but for her to see me leg-shackled before she dies. Unfortunately, I could not agree less. Did I mention that she terrifies me?”

Patience almost choked on her turtle soup. She could not picture someone less likely to be terrified than Charles. Why he was taller and broader than even Julius and must weight a good deal more besides.

“Do you take after your great-aunt then?”

“Dear me, no! She is the smallest little creature, but she could take on Wellington’s army with her tongue alone! Since Julius here has had better luck managing his own dragon of a great-aunt, I thought having him with me might help.”

With Charles keeping her entertained throughout dinner, Patience managed to partake of most of the dishes set before her and to ignore the occasional dark looks thrown at her from the beautiful Miss Arlington seated at the other end of the table.

Once the meal was over, the ladies removed to one of the salons while the men stayed behind to enjoy the Earl’s excellent port and brandy. The men did not linger long over their drinks however and soon rejoined the ladies so the ball could be set in motion. Patience’s nervousness returned in full force as she and Julius led the way into the ballroom. A small dais had been set in the middle of the floor and Julius guided Patience to it before joining her.

When he was sure of everyone’s attention, he announced, “As you know, you have been invited here tonight for a very special occasion. I am proud to present to you Miss Patience Bingham, the future Countess of Rutherford.”

Julius reached into the pocket of his dinner jacket and removed a small black velvet box. He flipped it open to reveal a glimmering diamond ring nestled within. Removing the ring from its box, Julius slipped it over her gloved finger before bending down to place a kiss on her hand.

Applause and cheers greeted this exchange. Patience could only stare at the beautiful ring adorning her finger, hoping that nobody present would be able to guess how much of an impostor she felt herself to be.

Julius helped her down from the dais where they were assaulted by their guests, each wanting to be first in offering their good wishes to the betrothed couple. Patience was glad for Julius’ strong arm to lean on as they were bombarded from all sides. When finally the crowd thinned down, the servants removed the dais and the orchestra struck a waltz. Julius wasted no time in guiding his fiancée around the dance floor. Soon other couples joined in, making Patience feel less conspicuous.

Julius proved to be an excellent dancer and Patience found herself relaxing and enjoying the dance.

“That was not so bad now, was it?” Julius asked.

“Are you trying to comfort me or yourself?”

“Both,” he confessed.

Patience let out a giggle at the admission. She caught sight of Miss Arlington dancing with Charles. Despite his large size, he was surprisingly lithe and agile. Her father, on the other hand, stood near the wall, pretending to enjoy the sight of his daughter dancing with the Earl.

“I hope my father does not cause you any embarrassment tonight.”

“Do not worry. I have warned my most trusted servants to keep an eye on him.”

“I am sorry. I know this may not sound very good on my part, but I truly would not wish him on my worst enemy.”

“That is high praise indeed, ma’am.”

“I am serious, you know.”

“I know. Now stop worrying and enjoy the dance.” Julius gathered her closer and spun her about the room until she was too dizzy to think, let alone worry about her father.

Almost two hours later, she was finally able to escape the festivities for a breath of fresh air. She sneaked through one of the open ballroom windows leading onto a long terrace decorated with benches and large potted plants. She chose to sit on a bench conveniently hidden from anyone who might venture outside. She was glad to be finally alone. Under other circumstances, the pretence would have been great fun. But tonight it was wearing her down, especially her spirits. Her smile had become harder and harder to keep in place. Not that everything was not as it should be. On the contrary. Julius had been at his most solicitous and attentive to her every need. He had stayed at her side nearly the whole time, presenting her to his many acquaintances. He had gazed at her with tender looks all evening. Although Patience knew that he was acting for the benefit of his guests, she could not help feeling flutters of excitement whenever their gazes met — or worse, when his eyes strayed lower to her décolletage, which he did much too often, in her opinion. At this rate all the guests would think he was marrying her for her bosom! She almost giggled out loud at this but the sudden chatter of excited voices stopped her.

“Whaat aaa squeeeze!” exclaimed a feminine voice nearby.

“Lord, yes! I’ve had my flounce stepped on twice already!” said a second, higher-pitched voice.

“Was Lord Filburt close by?” asked a third voice dripping with sarcasm. “I swear that man is the clumsiest oaf. He stepped on my toes five times during the last dance!”

“You really should have known better than to dance with him!” said a fourth voice, which much to Patience’s disappointment, seemed to be Miss Arlington’s.

Patience quietly scooted down the bench into the shadows, not wishing to become part of that lady’s entourage.

“But how can one say no to such wealth? He must be worth at least twenty thousand a year!” said Sarcastic Voice.

“Speaking of wealth, I have heard a most interesting rumour circulating around this evening,” said High-Pitched Voice. “It concerns no other than Miss Bingham.”

“Praaaaay teeeeell!” exclaimed Stretched-Out Voice.

Although Patience remained seated where she was, she found herself leaning closer curious to hear what would come next.

“Apparently one of the guests here is acquainted with Miss Bingham’s family lawyer who let drop that she was due to receive an inheritance. The lawyer could not disclose the details of course, but he hinted at a large sum.”

“Now this puts another light on this hasty engagement!” Sarcastic Voice said. “Did not Lord Rutherford’s father almost gamble away the whole family fortune?”

“He certainly did,” continued High-Pitched Voice. “But although the Earl worked hard to restore part of it, his coffers must not be more than half-filled.”

“Then what a happy coincidence that these two should have paired up!” replied Sarcastic Voice.

“You may speak for yourself,” said Miss Arlington, joining the conversation once more. “Your wedding day is fast approaching! But think of us poor girls who had our sights set on such a prize!”

“Now Cecilia, do not look so glum! Why, you can have your pick of any of the available gentlemen. They fall at your feet like flies attracted to honey!”

Miss Arlington’s scornful laugh filled the air. “That may be so, but not all flies are worth picking up!”

“What about Lord Rutherford’s cousin, Philip?” asked High-Pitched Voice. “His presence is sorely missed tonight.”

“Isn’t he theeeee mooooost handsome man aliiiive?” cooed Stretched-Out Voice.

“I cannot fathom why you should have set your cap at the Earl rather than Mr. Rutherford, Cecilia. He outshines them all with his angelic beauty,” said High-Pitched Voice.

“Mr. Rutherford would never do for me,” responded Miss Arlington. “His blond looks would clash terribly with mine.”

“Is that alllllll?” asked Stretched-out Voice.

“There are many more reasons. He may be heir to a fortune, but has no title. Also, I would never have a moment’s peace knowing that women of all ages were in raptures over him.”

“That may be so, but he has eyes only for you, Cecelia,” answered Sarcastic Voice.

“I know of no such thing!”

“You may rejoice then in knowing that the Earl is far from getting the bride of his dreams!” said High-Pitched Voice.

“Ah, yes! That famous list!” exclaimed Sarcastic Voice. “What did Mr. Rutherford say was on it again? I believe the lady in question would have to be tall enough that he would not get a crick in his neck. Well, that certainly has been ruled out!”

Sarcastic Voice waited for the sniggers to die down before continuing, “She also had to be a beauty because he would not take a dowd to bed. Can you believe that red hair? No one with any pretence to beauty may have red hair. You may be sure she will be covered in freckles at the least hint of sun.”

“And she must have intelligent conversation,” added High-Pitched Voice. “I overheard her speaking with old General Williams. It seemed she had much to say on the subject of gout!”

The ladies’ laughter filled the terrace.

“Now that certainly cheered me up!” Miss Arlington said. “We should go back in, however. The men will be desolate without us. Come, let us go see how the flies are faring!”

Patience let out a sigh of relief as the group removed inside, leaving her alone once more. The mention of the list had not bothered her. She had found it by accident when they were staying at the Marlows’. It had fallen out of Julius’ coat pocket. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had lost no time in reading its contents. She had thus known for days that she was the exact opposite of what he was looking for in a wife. And if his father had been a gambler no wonder he had not trusted her from the beginning! Her aunt had refrained from mentioning that small but quite meaningful detail to her. Had she or anyone else bothered to tell her, she might have understood Julius’ reactions better. Had she been in his shoes, she probably would have reacted the same way.