Time for Love (22 page)

They stood together for several minutes gazing into the fire before the door opened and Nicholas released her, stepping back quickly. She whipped around toward the door, wishing for a return of Nicholas’s solid comfort against her back.

Lord Downing entered first, a beautiful, fragile-looking woman hanging on his arm. She scanned the room quickly, taking in Nicholas’s presence with a brief glance before finding Alex and staring at her with wonder, tears falling silently from green eyes so like Alex’s own. She made to rush forward, but Lord Downing had a firm hold of her hand and kept her at his side.

Gregory entered next escorting a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen. Alex stared. They did look amazingly alike. No wonder Gregory had been so taken with the sight of her.

Lastly came a young man, perhaps a year or two younger than his sister. He was tall and gangly, though not yet as tall as his brother. He tripped slightly as he entered, and his face turned beet red. Alex smiled at him, but this seemed only to increase his embarrassment.

“Lord Oakleigh, Alexandra, may I present my wife, Lady Downing,” Lord Downing said as Lady Downing nodded her head at each in turn, though her eyes remained focused on Alex’s face. “You have already met our eldest son, Viscount Creswell.” Gregory bowed. “This is our youngest daughter, Lady Mary and our son, Myles.”

Unsure of how she was supposed to act, Alex attempted to curtsey, but again, her skirts got in the way. She stumbled slightly, but Nicholas caught her arm and steadied her. Embarrassed, but grateful, she caught his hand and squeezed, holding it clasped between her own. The warmth of his palm spread to hers, and she took a deep, calming breath before greeting everyone, “It’s nice to meet you all.”

A moment of silence filled the room as they stared at one another, no one sure of how to act. What exactly should be said in such a circumstance?

Lady Downing stepped tentatively forward, one shaking hand stretched toward Alex. “Please, child. May I look at you?”

Nicholas squeezed then released her hands, smiling encouragingly as Alex nodded and moved toward the beautiful woman who claimed to be her mother.

The shaking of both their hands seemed to subside only when clasped together, face-to-face. The love and joy radiating from the woman before her was a palpable thing. Alex should reiterate her disbelief in their relationship but couldn’t resist putting the inevitable aside for a brief moment to bask in this wonderful thing she had been denied her whole life, a mother’s love. When Lady Downing drew her into her warm embrace, she closed her eyes and breathed her in.

Reality came crashing back at the tear-choked sound of the lady’s voice, “Oh my darling daughter. How I have missed you these many years.”

Alex pulled back slowly and wiped her eyes, smiling sadly at the woman. “I’m so sorry to disappoint you ma’am, but as I have already explained to your husband, I’m not your daughter.”

“Nonsense.” Lady Downing touched Alex’s cheek gently. “I can see the truth with my eyes and feel it with my heart.” She sighed. “However, I can see that you have not yet accepted the truth. I will not push you.”

The lady returned to her husband’s side. He smiled and held her hand as she sat, then moved to stand behind her, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “We will not push you to accept us,” he repeated. “However, we will insist you stay with us as we help you locate your sister.” When Alex opened her mouth to protest, he held up his hand to forestall her. “I have already instigated a search, and your help may be required. It would be most convenient for you to be here should you be needed.”

Lady Mary spoke in a quiet, yet excited voice, “Oh, please won’t you stay? It would be ever so nice to have you here. This is my very first season, and I am dreadfully nervous. It would be glorious to have a sister—a friend—to share confidences.”

“Yes. Then she would have someone else to bore with all her talk about bonnets and other such silly girl things,” Myles teased, poking his sister in the waist.

She turned and swatted his hand away. “Perhaps she can teach you how to talk with a woman without blushing and stumbling over your own feet,” she replied tartly and smiled triumphantly as he blushed to the roots of his hair. She turned back to Alex. “And you must come to our ball. It’s only a few weeks away.”

Before Alex could respond, Lady Downing clapped her hands, “What an excellent idea, Mary! Of course you must come.”

Silent so far, everyone turned to stare as Nicholas interrupted, “I’m sorry, but I won’t allow it.”

“Why ever not?” asked Lady Downing.

“I fear it may pose some danger for Alex,” he said slowly, his brow knitted. “She looks exactly like her sister, and we already know Charlotte is in trouble. I wouldn’t want to expose Alex to the same danger. I think it best she stay in the house. Or, better yet, with me.”

“Humph.” Alex snorted. “I’m here to help Charlotte, and that won’t happen if I’m stuck in my room like a naughty child.” She tapped her lip with the tip of her finger. “Now that you mention it though, it might not be a bad idea.” She paced before the fire. “A ball might be just the place to flush the perp out.”

“Flush the perp?” Lord Downing narrowed his eyes and tugged on his ear, his head tilted a bit to the side. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Alex blushed. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Too many late night TV shows.” Realizing they would have no idea what she was saying, she was quick to add, “It may amount to nothing, but someone kidnapped your girls all those years ago. If, like you, they mistook my Charlotte for your daughter, they may have kidnapped her to keep her quiet. Maybe they saw her and were frightened she would recognize them. If they see me, they may feel desperate enough to try something, and we’ll be able to figure out who they are and have them arrested.”

Everyone started talking at once, practically shouting to be heard. Nicholas overrode them all and spun her around to face him. “That is out of the question. I will not allow you to place yourself in danger.”

Bristling at his tone, she replied, “It’s not up to you now, is it?”

“It most certainly is. As your future husband, you must do as I say.”

“Hah! You’re—”

Luckily Lord Downing interrupted her, because she was so angry she had no idea what she had been about to say. “Her idea actually has some merit, Oakleigh,” Lord Downing said quietly.

They swiveled to gape at him in unison. Alex couldn’t have heard him right. She had been sure it was going to take a whole lot of convincing before she got her way.

“Excuse me?” Nicholas asked, his voice cold and lethal as he focused his full attention on Lord Downing.

“We always suspected whoever kidnapped our girls must have been someone I knew.” He squeezed his wife’s shoulder when she let out a small gasp and turned to face him more fully in her chair. “But were unable to determine the guilty party.”

“You never told me!” Lady Downing accused in a trembling voice.

“I’m sorry, my dear. I thought it best not to upset you further. You may recall you were
enceinte
at the time.”

“We shall discuss this later,” she said, the ice in her voice chilling even Alex from across the room.

Lord Downing winced, but nodded. “As I was saying, if Alexandra were to attend the ball and should the criminal be in attendance, she may possibly recognize him. We could finally bring the scoundrel to justice. She would hardly be in any danger in the middle of a crowded ball with all of us surrounding her.” He turned to Nicholas. “As her betrothed, you would naturally be with her the entire evening and could personally see to her safety.”

Before anyone could reply, Alex remarked, “I won’t be able to recognize anyone, seeing as how I’m not actually your daughter. However, if the person were to fear recognition, like I said before, they may become desperate, and we’ll figure it out when they try something.” She smiled brightly. “So when is this party?”

“The evening of the twenty-eighth,” Lady Mary said, her voice bubbly with excitement.

Alex’s heart skipped a beat before hammering against her chest. The twenty-eighth. The night before Charlotte’s murder.

****

After all arguments over her attendance at Lady Mary’s ball ended with the assurance that she
would
be going, Lady Downing had swept her out of the room to begin preparations. With only a few weeks to go before the big event, not a moment was to be lost in outfitting Alex appropriately. They had spent the evening making lists and taking stock of Alex’s meager belongings before Lady Downing had insisted Alex go to sleep early to rest for the morrow.

The next day passed in a blur as Alex got to know the Creswell ladies. In the morning, they headed to the Burlington Arcade. Lady Downing assured her that while this was relatively new, it was still
the
place to go for all the latest fashion trends.

Had she not felt tremendously guilty at all the expense and hassle she was putting these wonderful people through, Alex would have enjoyed herself immensely. As it was, she would manage to relax for short bursts of time—until someone would ask a question about her life she couldn’t possibly answer truthfully. Shame would return full force and slam her in the chest.

She had little in common with the two ladies, but she liked them never-the-less. They were kind and considerate and simply overjoyed to be with her. Even though Alex knew they must find her strange with her complete ignorance of the rules of the day, they never let slip they found her anything less than
delightful—
which seemed to be one of Lady Downing’s favorite words.

The state of Alex’s wardrobe shocked them, and she marveled at the amount of clothing they considered mere essentials. The day passed in a whirlwind of fabrics, ribbons, hats and shoes. Never in her life had Alex experienced such first rate service. They merely stepped foot into a shop when no less a personage than the owner would be at their side, seeing to their every desire and assuring Lady Downing those items that could not be created on the spot, dresses and such, would be completed without delay and delivered to their townhouse as soon as possible. Lady Downing and her daughter must be very good customers.

Not only popular with shop owners, the ladies stopped frequently to greet an astonishing number of acquaintances. Shopping was apparently a favorite daytime activity during the season.

They introduced Alex as their American friend visiting for the season. Lady Downing couldn’t hide her disappointment when Alex refused to allow her to introduce her as their long lost daughter.

She got over it quickly enough as she explained the importance of the social season in London. “We spend most of the year at our country estate. While we visit with our neighbors and often entertain close friends as guests at our home, our social circle is very limited. So when Parliament is in session, we come here with Lord Downing and have a chance to greet all our friends and meet others. It’s also the best opportunity for young people to find a suitable match.”

“What exactly makes a match
suitable
?” Alex asked, surprised at her interest.

“The two young people should have similar backgrounds, fortunes, and be of good family…” Lady Downing began.

“Don’t forget about love, mother,” interrupted Lady Mary. “I refuse to settle for anyone whom I do not love.”

“Of course not, darling. Be sure the man to whom you give your affection is worthy of that honor. As the daughter of an earl, and a wealthy one at that, you will attract the attention of unsuitable persons trying to improve their station in life by marrying above themselves.”

“You can’t help who you fall in love with, though,” Alex said. “Love doesn’t work like that.”

“Of course you can, dear,” Lady Downing replied.

Mouth agape, Alex just stared for a moment, and then asked, “How?”

“Close your mouth, dear. It’s most unbecoming.” Her smile took the sting out of her words, but the smile was sad and a trifle shaky. “Your upbringing has been most unusual. How I wish I had been there for you. To teach you such life lessons as you grew up.” She dabbed daintily at her eyes with a lacy handkerchief she pulled from her reticule. “Now, let us get back to the subject of love with a suitable gentleman. This is why a season in London is so important for a young lady’s future. It is her opportunity to meet a variety of eligible young men with whom to fall in love. It is the responsibility of a young lady’s parents or guardian to see to it she not meet any young men of unacceptable backgrounds. She is then free to fall in love without worry.”

Alex burst out laughing but stifled her outburst as best she could when she realized Lady Downing was completely serious. “I’m sorry to laugh, but how exactly do you manage that?”

The two ladies looked curiously at Alex. “Why should that be at all difficult?” Lady Mary asked.

“How do you keep her from meeting someone unsuitable?” Alex asked again. “You can’t tell me every single person at every event you attend is some paragon of virtue, wealth, and title looking to get married?”

“That is true, depending on the event there are often undesirable people in attendance, rakes, fortune hunters, and the like. However, we simply deny those gentlemen an introduction.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Deny an introduction? How do you do that—ignore someone when they introduce themselves?”

“Introduce himself! Why such a thing is never done. It would be the height of impropriety, and that person would never be invited to another social event,” Lady Mary exclaimed, blushing and apparently scandalized at the very thought.

“Really. Jeez, you people have more rules,” Alex muttered, taking it all in.

“What was that, dear?” Lady Downing asked.

“Nothing,” Alex said quickly. “Where to next?”

“We should return home. We have to get ready for this evening. Are you sure you won’t accompany us, Alexandra?”

“No, thank you. I think it best if I just have a quiet evening to myself.”

She had no reason to suspect this was not going to happen.

Chapter Eighteen

May 1 (28 Days Remaining)