The Complicated Earl (7 page)

“
James I know there won’t be room in the box for everyone, but would it be possible for us to take Charlotte with us to the theatre tonight?”

“Sophie!” Tom
exploded, making Cecily and Mrs Arnold visibly jump.

“
It’s fine, Standish,” James soothed. “Of course Miss Arnold will be very welcome to join our party. If you give us your direction Mrs Arnold we can collect Miss Arnold on the way to the theatre. She is very welcome.”

Isabelle admired
the magnanimous response from her brother. With the addition of Charlotte to the party there would be less chance of a tête a tête with Sophie for him. He was obviously a better actor than the Earl as no-one in the room would have guessed from his manner that he was anything other than delighted to have Charlotte join them.

James’s wor
ds did unleash the voice of Mrs Arnold though. She commenced a long in-depth monologue of how lucky her eldest daughter was and how she could not thank James enough. Isabelle’s small group had never drunk tea quite as quickly before, but soon they were able to make their escape. Isabelle received a glare from the Earl and had difficulty suppressing a smile, but she suffered no pang of conscience at leaving him with his guests. After spending such a little time with them, Isabelle knew she would find it difficult to be too much in their company. She wanted to support her brother but the mother gave her a headache. She mistrusted Mr Arnold, and the two girls, although pleasant and unassuming would always be in company with their mother and brother, so she did not relish them joining their party often.

*

The small group arrived at the Theatre as planned and the seating arrangements were as both Isabelle and James had feared. Sophie and Charlotte sat at the front of the party deep in conversation that was whispered and exclusive between the two of them. Mary and James sat together; Mary trying to rally James. The Earl and Isabelle sat at the back of the party. The Earl had already commented in a growled whisper when they had first met about Isabelle leaving him to deal with the Arnolds, which had made Isabelle laugh. He continued his scolding when they were seated.

“You offered
to support me!” He whispered so Charlotte would not hear, but she was probably too engrossed in her conversation with Sophie to have noticed anything else that was going on around her.

“I did, but I did not offer to sacrifice myself,” Isabelle laughed. “In public rooms I could cope with
the chatter, but in your drawing room I just wanted to run out screaming!”

“How do
you think I felt?” He demanded. “I come in expecting you all to be exhausted but happy and instead I am faced with a mob!”

“Yes but a mob that you could intimidate and did from the way the conversation died at your entrance,
so you must have gained some sense of pleasure out of the situation.  I would imagine that they felt as pained as you did,” Isabelle smiled up at him.

“It did
not encourage them to leave any earlier though. They stayed for a full half hour after you left! Half an hour of torture!”

“I
almost wish that I had seen it, but not quite,” Isabelle teased.

“L
augh at my misfortune would you? What kind of a friend are you?”

“The kind that keeps your feet firmly on the ground.
You are obviously not as frightening as you would like to be considered if they stayed for half an hour,” Isabelle could not resist bantering with him.

“I keep threatening to show you how frighten
ing I can be. Continue with comments like that and it will happen sooner than you think!” He replied, but he smiled with the words.

“I sit here quaking before you,” Isabelle grinned back.

“It seems the determination of the Arnolds on increasing our acquaintance is greater than I realised. The more I can keep them away from Sophie the better,” he said changing the subject and becoming serious.

“I think you will have difficulty a
chieving that. The acquaintance cannot be ignored especially in such a small place as Bath and surely it would create ill feeling if you stopped the girls from seeing each other?” Isabelle asked, understanding his sentiments, but not able to see a way around them without causing the antagonism of Sophie.

“True, but I think I need to move away slightly from the public entertainments that Bath has to offer and concentrate on the private parties our other acquaintance
s in Bath seem to enjoy.”

Isabelle pulled a face, “W
ell that’s a fine show of friendship I must say; you are leaving me alone to face the Arnolds!”

“What do you mean?”
came the surprised question.

“Well while
you go off to your private parties, we shall be left in the public balls with the Arnolds! Although I’m sure Mr Arnold is as good a dancer as an Earl, I wonder if he likes dancing with older ladies?” Isabelle arched her eyebrows at Tom, but almost burst out laughing at his expression of shock at her words.

“Don’t be
ridiculous! You’ll be joining us! And don’t give me any of that nonsense you would be without a partner if I was not available to dance; you were fighting off gentlemen the last time I looked!”

“You are funny when you
are angry,” Isabelle smiled, “But you are welcome to your smaller parties. I am no card player and enjoy my public entertainments. Do not include me in your little private gatherings.”

“I would
have expected nothing less that you dislike card parties. I hope I may not be accused of completely disregarding your needs when making plans for our entertainment. I would try to accommodate everyone,” he assured her.

“Umm, why am I disbelieving?
As long as you avoid the Arnolds nothing else will matter when you make your plans,” Isabelle replied unconvinced.

“Insolent girl, do you not trust me?” The
feigned look of innocence made Isabelle cover her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing out loud.

“I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that I think I’ve insulted you enough this evening
,” came a strangled reply.

They sat in a comfortable
silence as the play progressed, both watching Sophie and James as much as the play, but there was nothing to see during the performance. At the interval James had considerately arranged to have refreshments brought to the box, so that the party would not need to fight through the crowds of people also seeking refreshments. As they helped themselves to the treats supplied they were interrupted by a knock on the door, which was opened to show an acquaintance of Isabelle’s.

“
Mr Ollerton! How good it is to see you!” Isabelle exclaimed, moving to the door to greet him.

“And
you Miss Crawford. I saw you during the play and could not resist making myself known. How are you? You are looking very well,” asked the smiling gentleman. He was only a little taller in height than Isabelle, in his mid-forties, quite handsome with dark blond hair and clear green eyes. He was well dressed, a man of fortune and taste from his appearance.

“I’m very well thank
you and mores now I know you have returned from the country. Please let me introduce you to my friends.” Isabelle performed the introductions. James already knew Mr Ollerton from previous visits and greeted him warmly. The Earl gave his usual cool response, but had a feeling they had met previously. Mr Ollerton gave no indication of recognition, so the Earl dismissed his thought.

“You must join us for refreshments and tell us your news,” I
sabelle insisted, offering Mr Ollerton tea.

“I shan’t
interrupt further,” came the smiling refusal. “I wanted to say my hellos and invite you to a ball at my home at the weekend. I thought it would be a good idea to hold one since I have recently returned home. It seemed a perfect excuse as any. Your whole party are all invited. It is on Saturday night. Lots of dancing I hope and if I can secure the first two with you Miss Crawford my evening’s enjoyment will be secured.”

Isabelle s
miled, a little embarrassed at his words. She did not know why, perhaps it had something to do with the glower she could feel coming from the Earl standing at her side. “Of course I’ll dance with you, it will be my pleasure,” she said inclining her head away from the Earl. She had the urge to giggle and did not want to upset Mr Ollerton by appearing rude.

“Good,
excellent! Well I am sure I shall see you all in the Pump Rooms over the coming days, but I look forward to welcoming you to my home on Saturday. Now I shall leave you in peace, goodbye!”

Mary smiled at Isabelle
when Mr Ollerton left. “He obviously missed you; you know how he avoids holding Balls at home.”

“Don’t be s
illy, Mary.” Isabelle flushed, “he could have danced with me at any of the assemblies I attend. Do not try and pretend that he is holding the ball in my honour.”

“I really do need to fight through a crowd to dance with you don’t I?”
Tom drawled.

Chapter
6

To avoid the Pump Room for a second day would start to make Sophie suspicious
about his dislike of her friends so Tom reluctantly agreed to attend with his sister. They had been out for a short ride with Isabelle and James first thing and then had arranged to meet up later. He was determined that although he could not avoid meeting them during the day, his evening entertainment would be somewhere that the Arnold family would not be if he could help it and approached the Pump Room with dread at seeing them again.

A
n old acquaintance of his father accosted him before either he or Sophie could ascertain if the Arnolds were already in attendance.

“Ah, Standish, I saw your name in the visitors book, wondered what
the blazes brought you to Bath. This is the last place I should expect to see you,” the older gentleman said in greeting.

“I thought
it was time my sister saw it,” Tom replied, but not with his usual growl. Mr Davies was the type of person he liked, including his abrupt manner. He was one of the few people who had visited his family home when he was younger and did not bring back memories that he would rather forget.

“Thought Brighton was the place to be these days, Bath is only for us old ones.
It’s not as popular as it was since the Regent built his monstrosity in Brighton.”

A smile had been given by
Tom at the description of the Regent’s pride and joy palace. Mr Davies was not the type to suppress his feelings for politeness sake. “Brighton is the place to be if you want to be surrounded by those who fawn over the Regent,” Tom replied with his usual sneer.

“Madmen! Can’t be doing with the blighters myself, glad I’m
too old to be of importance now.” Mr Davies laughed. “Sophie’s turned out to be a fine lady I see, looks like your mother. Not married yet?”

“Not yet, but don’t get any ideas, I’m expecting a
younger man to marry my sister.”

Mr
Davies laughed out loud, “Cheeky cub! Glad to see you’re still on top form Standish. Where’s her chaperone?”

“I’m doing the
job at the moment,” Tom explained. “I had a bad experience with an aunt, you’ll remember Aunt Louisa? For now I’m escorting Sophie, but we have met some friends here and the sister is proving to be a great help. The Crawfords? You probably know them; I went to Oxford with James.”

“Ah yes, I do know them, the
sister lives here with a cousin; a bit out of the ordinary, but a fine looking girl. I’m not surprised you’re hanging around with her, wouldn’t have minded making a conquest of her myself if I was a bit younger.”

Tom
found himself stiffening at the lewd way Mr Davies was referring to Isabelle and flared up against his tone. “The family are my friends, don’t insult the lady in my hearing,” he snapped. The thought of Isabelle being seen as a woman to be chased in such a disrespectful way angered him with force that surprised him. It was bad enough that she was chased by numerous men who wanted to make her their wife without men looking at her as a challenge to corrupt. He tried to hide his anger. It would be no use to let anyone see the feelings that Isabelle stirred within him. He was not going to act on them, so he had to keep them hidden.

“Sorry Standish, I see how it is, no offence meant,” th
e words were delivered quickly. Anyone who had known the Earl as long as Mr Davies knew the extent of his temper. “I know, let me make it up to you, bring Sophie and your party around to my place tonight. I have arranged to feed my friends the Wilds. You would make a welcome addition to the group. Sophie and your Isabelle could provide us with some welcome music if they would.”

Normally the Earl would have re
fused an invitation and he did have reservations of putting Isabelle in Mr Davies’s company after his comments, but the temptation of being engaged for the evening away from the Arnold family was too much of a sway and he accepted the offer. He arranged to send a note around to Mr Davies when he had asked if the Crawford party would join them. He left Mr Davies to continue around the Pump Room, greeting almost everyone along the way, demanding from each person to tell him something entertaining. His seniority gave him an excuse to behave badly in his opinion.

Tom
turned his attention to looking out for a dark head that had become important to the enjoyment of his stay. Finally, he spotted her, surrounded, as he knew she would be by the men who tried to woo her, but were consistently held at arm’s length. He knew that she was not interested in any of them in a romantic way, but it did not prevent his stomach knotting at the sight of her laughing at another man’s jokes. He had to fight the urge to walk over and punch each and every one of them who surrounded her, but he knew that ultimately he was going to leave Bath and her behind, so fought his inner battle of trying to ignore what she stirred within him.

Sophie
had approached James and Mary, who were talking to some of their friends near to Isabelle. They acknowledged the Earl and he had the pleasure of seeing Isabelle smile at him across the crowd. He was forced to make polite conversation with Mary as James and Sophie chatted exclusively. Mary did keep him entertained though, she was the second most sensible woman in the room after Isabelle.

Tom
had relaxed a little while talking to Mary, until the sound of a familiar voice was heard. Mrs Arnold was bearing down on them as if she had not seen them for months. If only, he thought before bracing himself and turned to greet the new additions.

“Well I say, what a pleasant surprise to see you all again! D
id you enjoy the Theatre? I am sure it was a pleasure. I’ve heard such good reports! Was there anyone of interest in the audience? I always say to my girls, half the pleasure is in seeing one’s friends in the audience. I often miss the performance because I am looking at Mrs So and So’s hat, but I enjoy it anyway. It seems like so long since we have seen each other. You seem well, very well indeed. My Charlotte has not stopped talking about the kindness you all showed her last night. Who would have thought, refreshments brought to the box. Spoiled I told her, she was spoiled indeed!”

“Mrs
Arnold, how nice to see you,” came the clear laughing voice of Isabelle. Her eyes danced as she met Tom’s gaze briefly before turning back to Mrs Arnold. “Let me introduce you to an old friend of my mother’s family. He knew your husband I believe.” Isabelle led Mrs Arnold to the group of men who had surrounded her, but who were now quickly making their excuses and moving away. An older gentleman was being introduced to Mrs Arnold, who seemed very pleased to have a new acquaintance.

Isabelle moved back to Tom
within a few moments. He could not resist touching her arm as he said quietly, “My heartfelt thanks Miss Crawford, I think you have saved me from committing murder.”

Isabelle smiled
mischievously, “I am happy to be of help, but I’m afraid it’s not over; I fear we shall have her company for some time yet.”

Tom
quickly updated Isabelle about the invitation he had been offered and when she did not look too keen, he tried his powers of persuasion to gain her agreement. “I shall make it worth your while,” he said.

“What can you possibly offer me that would tempt me to spend an evening in company with people I don’t
really want to? Not only that, they expect me to play music for their entertainment!” Isabelle liked Tom’s company more than she was prepared to admit to anyone, even herself, but was reluctant to commit to a tiresome evening even for him.

Tom
blinked before replying, this woman always knew how to knock him from his usual confident position. “I did not know you felt so strongly against our company,” he said rather coolly, his aloofness hiding the hurt that he felt at her remarks.

Isabelle bu
rst out laughing, which again rocked Tom. “If you said that hoping for compliments, my Lord, you will be disappointed! You know full well that I like your company. I am not going to pander to your ego by telling you how much. I was referring to the Wilds and Mr Davies which you should have known.”

“That’s a relief,” Tom
said, with more feeling than normal. “If I suggest that we go out tomorrow for a long ride, Mary could come in a phaeton if she wished and we could ride alongside her on horseback. We could ride out to an inn and have a meal and then return. You often say that you wish you could take Beauty on longer rides. Well I am offering you the opportunity to do that as compensation for a tiresome evening.”

“Umm, that is a temptation, I admit,” Isabelle replied. “I think you
may have offered enough to persuade me. I shall be happy to join you tonight, but remember the whole time we are there I will be thinking of our day out tomorrow.”

“We shall
be of one mind then!” Tom replied with a smile.

The parties eventually separated and Isabelle
explained to James and Mary what she had agreed to. James was happy with the scheme; any time with Sophie was sure to gain his agreement. Mary declined the offer of the day out. “I have promised Mrs Sugden that I would accompany her on a shopping trip,” Mary explained. Mrs Sugden was her closest friend in Bath.

“Could she not be persuaded to postpone? Or would she join us?” Isabelle asked wanting her cousin to join them
on the day out. She did not often venture further afield and Isabelle wanted to try and tempt her enough that she would join them.

“She
, like me, is no horsewoman,” Mary said with a smile. “We prefer trips by carriage rather than phaeton, especially at this time of year! You can brave the cool air; I am going to brave nothing more adventurous than Milsom Street!”

“Very well, but you will be missed,” Isabelle said linking arms with her cousin. “You help me entertain the Earl
while James and Lady Sophie talk exclusively to each other.”

“You need no help in that area, you are more than capable in handling him,” Mary smiled. “
I had noticed that you are becoming great friends the both of you.”

“Ye
s we are when his mood isn’t black.” Isabelle smiled wickedly.