You, and Only You (10 page)

“Thank you, Emily,” Tiffany replied with genuine
appreciation, smiling warmly as she rose from her seat at the vanity.

When Tiffany began her descent down the main staircase a few
minutes later, she could see that a large group had already gathered in the
front foyer.
 
Scanning the crowd, she
quickly noted that Alex wasn’t one of them.
 
Unfortunately though, Baroness Langdon
was
among those present.
 
And
much to her chagrin, the older woman looked just as strikingly beautiful as she
had the night before.
 
Noting her attire,
it was apparent that she would be riding in one of the carriages, rather than
upon horseback, for she was wearing a daringly low-cut emerald green gown,
which in Tiffany’s opinion, seemed far more suited to a lavish dinner party
than a simple afternoon picnic.
 
Nevertheless,
she couldn’t help feeling that her own modestly-cut riding habit made her look
rather drab in comparison.
 
Drat, why did
the woman have to be so damnably attractive, she silently bemoaned, her earlier
good humor rapidly dissipating.
 
If
Lucinda Langdon was warming his bed, what interest could Alex possibly have in
her
?
 
But he
had
kissed her, she
reminded herself once again, stubbornly holding on to her tiny glimmer of hope,
foolish as it might be.
 

Forcing her gaze from the lovely baroness, Tiffany looked
for her father amongst the crowd, but fortunately he was nowhere to be
seen.
 
She hadn’t thought that he would
be joining the picnickers and was relieved to see that her assumption appeared
to have been correct.

“Good morning, Lady Tiffany.”
 

Hearing the deep male voice, Tiffany descended the final
step and turned to see the Duke of Ravenfield standing just a few feet to her
left.

“Good morning, Your Grace,” she replied, curtseying and
smiling warmly at the attractive duke.
 
He looked quite dashing, she noted, dressed in his tailored riding
clothes and highly-polished Wellingtons.
  

Sweeping his gaze from the top of her head to the tips of
her boots, the duke eyed her appreciatively.
 
“How is it possible?” he asked in apparent disbelief, shaking his head
slightly from side to side.

“How is what possible?” Tiffany asked, confused by both the
question and the incredulous look upon the duke’s face.

He grinned.
 
“How is
it possible that you look more beautiful each and every time I see you?”

“Funny, but I was just wondering that very same thing,”
Brendon Leighton said admiringly, coming to stand beside the duke, a roguish
grin upon his handsome face.

Tiffany felt her cheeks grow warm, but they were both so
utterly charming that she couldn’t help but smile in return.
 
Having two such good-looking gentlemen pay
her a compliment was exactly what she needed to boost her confidence.
 
Perhaps, she didn’t look
so
drab after all.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Hearing the sound of Ashleigh’s voice, the trio, like
everyone else in the foyer, turned toward the stairs.
 

“We are so sorry to have kept you all waiting,” Ashleigh
stated, looking a bit flustered as she and Nicholas descended the stairs.
 

Tiffany didn’t miss the telltale blush that stained Ashleigh’s
cheeks, and catching a glimpse of Brendon’s knowing smile out of the corner of
her eye, she guessed that she wasn’t the only one who suspected what it was
that had delayed the duke and duchess.
 

Turning his head, Brendon caught Tiffany’s eye.
 
His grin widening, he nodded and gave her an
audacious wink.
 

Embarrassed, Tiffany felt her cheeks go from warm to hot and
feared that her face was even redder than Ashleigh’s.
 
Of course, noting her discomfiture, Brendon
promptly burst out laughing.
 
He quickly disguised
it as a bout of coughing however, when his brother sent him a quelling glance
from his position on the stairs.

“Shall we go?”
 
Ashleigh called in an overly enthusiastic tone as she reached the marble
floor.
 
She didn’t wait for a response
and was already heading toward the front door a second later.
 
Her husband, seeming perfectly at ease,
followed leisurely behind her, a nearly indiscernible smile upon his lips.

Nearly two dozen horses were saddled and waiting on the
wide, circular front drive as Tiffany walked from the house, sandwiched between
Brendon and the duke.
 
Moving toward the
horses, she felt her excitement build.
 
It was a lovely morning and she was looking forward not only to the
picnic, but to being in the saddle once again as well.
 
She loved to ride, and was a skilled
horsewoman.
 
It was one of the few
pleasures her father allowed her and she rode whenever and wherever she could.

With the assistance of several grooms and footmen, the
carriages were soon filled and those who had opted to ride were quickly
mounted.
 
From atop her horse, Tiffany
once again scanned the crowd, looking for Alex.
 
Just when she thought he might not be coming, she spotted him.
 
He’d just emerged from the house and was
walking in the direction of a large, gray stallion being led forward by one the
grooms.
 
She watched in admiration as he
mounted the huge steed with the easy grace of a natural equestrian.
 
Looking up, he inadvertently caught her
gaze.
 
The look he gave her caused her a
moment’s pause, however, for it could only be described as speculative and
somewhat reserved.
 
She had little time
to ponder it though, for soon after the entire group was underway.
 

Although Tiffany rode between Brendon and the Duke of
Ravenfield, she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from straying in Alex’s
direction.
 
He rode near the front of the
group next to Nicholas and Ashleigh, looking so handsome in his dark jacket and
matching trousers, the sun highlighting the golden streaks in his short brown
hair.
 
Evidently she wasn’t the only one
who thought so, for as she looked around she noticed several other women eyeing
the earl with blatant admiration.
 
Though
she certainly had no claim upon him, she felt an annoying spark of jealousy
nonetheless.
 

Fortunately she wasn’t allowed to dwell upon the matter
overlong, for with Brendon and the duke continuously vying for her attention,
she was forced to keep her mind on the conversation at hand.
 
Surprisingly, responding to their flirtatious
banter was easier than she’d thought it would be, and Tiffany found that she
was truly enjoying herself as they made their way through the lush English
countryside.
 
Both men were natural born
charmers and clearly knew how to put a lady at ease.
 

Up ahead, Alex was focused upon his own thoughts.

“You’re unusually quiet this morning, Alex,” Ashleigh said,
eyeing him inquiringly.
 
“Is something
troubling you?”

“Didn’t sleep well?” Nick queried with an amused smirk.

“No, nothing is troubling me,” Alex lied.
 
“And I slept just fine, thank you,” he continued,
rolling his eyes.
 
He had no doubt as to
what they were both thinking, but he wasn’t in the mood to discuss Tiffany
Marlowe.
 
Damn it all anyhow, he cursed
silently.
 
Why the devil had he been so
reckless?
 
Kissing Tiffany had been a
monumental lapse of good sense.
 
Thankfully though, aside from a few needling remarks, he was confident
that Nicholas and Ashleigh would keep quiet about the matter.
 
Unfortunately however, what they didn’t know
was that his previous evening’s indiscretion was the least of his worries at
the moment; Melborne’s ridiculous proposition being his primary source of
angst.
 
Nonetheless, to keep Nick and
Ashleigh from further bedeviling him, he decided to turn the tables on them.
 
“Perhaps I should ask whether the two of you slept
well,” he remarked, quirking his brow knowingly.
 
“You
were
rather late to join the party this morning?”

As he’d predicted, Ashleigh blushed scarlet and then
promptly stuck her tongue out at him, causing both he and Nicholas to laugh
aloud.

“I think that was our cue to change the subject,” Nicholas
said, grinning at his wife.

“Fine,” Ashleigh said with an exaggerated huff, rolling her
eyes as Alex had done just moments ago.
 
“When are your mother and sisters due to return from their holiday?”

Alex smiled smugly, pleased to have steered the conversation
in a less troublesome direction.
 
“The
last letter I received indicated that they were enjoying themselves immensely
and would be staying abroad for the next several weeks.”

“Enjoying themselves immensely,” Nick chortled.
 
“Translation, they’re spending a goodly
amount of the Chesterfield fortune and loving each and every minute of it.”

“I believe you’ve hit the nail on the head, old man,” Alex
agreed, though his tone was benevolent.
 
He wasn’t worried, as fortunately he had far more money than his mother
and sisters could ever hope to spend in their lifetime, or in a dozen lifetimes
for that matter.

 
“If I know your
sisters, they will have visited every fashion house in Europe before their
return,” Ashleigh remarked laughingly.

Alex snorted.
 
“The
girls are bound and determined to shine during their first Season, and I’ve
been informed that possessing the most fashionable wardrobe money can buy is of
the utmost importance.”
 
Even though they
had more than a year to wait until their official debut, they were already
planning for the eagerly-anticipated event.

“Well, it may seem a bit frivolous,” Ashleigh said
thoughtfully, “but considering all of the charitable contributions your family
has made to society over the years, not to mention the good works that you,
your mother and sisters continue to do, I should think that you all can
countenance the extravagance without feeling too much guilt.”

“Yes, as long as we direct our attention to what truly
matters, I suppose the occasional overindulgence can be overlooked,” he
admitted.
 
Besides, even though he
dreaded the social obligations that his sisters’ first Season would entail, he
loved them both dearly, and for their sake he would do whatever he had to do to
make them happy.

While they journeyed the remaining distance to the picnic
site, their conversation turned to the construction of the new hospital wing at
Westminster Hospital that both the Warrene and Leighton families had a hand in
funding.
 
It was an enormous financial
undertaking, but one that would be a great benefit to the people of London.

As the group neared the lake and the grassy bank upon which
they were to have their luncheon, Brendon and the duke began a rather intense
debate regarding the country’s newest labor laws.
 
With two very differing opinions on one
regulation in particular, their conversation had been growing more and more
heated by the moment.
 
Seeking to lighten
the mood, Tiffany decided to intervene.
 
“Oh look.
 
The picnic site is just
ahead, gentlemen,” she called out.
 

Their discussion came to an abrupt halt as both men
immediately turned to face her.
 
“Shall
we see who can get there first?” she challenged with an impudent grin.

For one brief moment the three of them eyed each other in
silent deliberation, and in the next they were off.
 
Brendon took the early lead with Tiffany and
the duke trailing just a short distance behind.
 
Their faces reflecting a lighthearted merriment, they quickly overtook
Nicholas, Ashleigh and the Earl of Chesterfield, who all turned in surprise as
the trio passed by, then watched in amusement as they raced pell-mell across
the fragrant meadow.

Despite her mount being inferior to both men’s impressive
stallions, Tiffany surged ahead as they neared the bank and ultimately emerged
victorious.
 
She good-naturedly accused
them of throwing the race and wasn’t the least bit convinced when they
adamantly denied letting her win.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” Tiffany said, smiling brightly as
the duke assisted her from her mount, handing her mare’s reins to one of the
grooms who’d been sent ahead to look after the horses while they lunched.
 
She was still exhilarated from their
impromptu race and her mood was jubilant as her booted feet touched the ground.
 

From atop his horse, Alex watched as Ravenfield lifted
Tiffany from her saddle, clenching his jaw as the duke’s hands lingered just a
moment too long upon her slender waist.
 
Tiffany however, didn’t appear to mind, he noted with a twinge of
irritation.
 
“That was quite a race,” he
remarked, pulling his mount to a halt a few feet from where the pair now stood.