Tenacious Trents 01 - A Misguided Lord (4 page)

But, he didn’t want a wife for
entertainment. He wanted Lady Anne because she would cause no
problems and knew her duty. Maybe when they knew each other well
enough she would converse more. He could only hope.

“
Run, run! Yes, that is it!
The wind has it!”

Clayton turned toward the sound of a
woman’s voice. It was the lady who had bumped into him two nights
ago at the Pranth’s ball. He still hadn’t learned her name. She was
with a younger boy. A lad of about ten held the string of a kite
and was running toward him. The boy was so fixated on watching the
sky he didn’t pay attention to where he was going.

“
Toby, watch out,” the
young woman cried and took off running toward them.

It was too late. Clayton barely had
time to move Lady Anne out of the way before the lad barreled into
him and almost knocking them both over. Clay steadied him with a
hand on his shoulders.

Large eyes, filled with fear looked up
at Clay. “I am very sorry, sir.”

The young woman rushed over and
stopped before them, her breasts rising and falling with each heavy
breath she took. “I am so very sorry, my lord.”

She glanced up and recognition dawned
on her face. Her brown eyes grew wide and all color left her face
with the exception of two bright spots remaining on her cheeks,
probably from the exertion of her sprint to catch the lad. Ladies
should not be running in the park, especially Hyde Park during the
fashionable hour, regardless of the reason.

The boy looked up at her. They must be
brother and sister. There were too many similarities from the same
eyes to the color of hair and apologetic tilt of their lips. “I
didn’t mean to run into him.”

The young woman put an arm around the
lad’s shoulders and bent to look him in the eye. “I know you
didn’t, but I did warn you to watch where you were going.” While
her tone was firm and chastising, it also held a warmth, love for
the boy.

The boy looked back up at him and the
young woman straightened. “I didn’t hurt you, did I, my
lord?”

As if the lad could. “No, but you
could have someone else, such as Lady Anne, had I not seen
you.”

His face turned scarlet and he glanced
to Clay’s companion. “I am very sorry, my lady. Please forgive
me.”

“
I am unharmed.” She
sniffed and looked away.

“
You look lovely today,
Lady Anne. I hope we haven’t ruined your stroll.” The woman greeted
cheerfully.

“
Thank you, Miss Westin,”
Lady Anne responded in a cool tone.

Ah, so now he had a name at least.
Miss Hoyden would be more appropriate, however.

Lady Anne glanced past Miss Westin and
frowned. “Do you not have a nanny or nursemaid to see to the
children?”

Clay followed her line of vision.
Another boy, perhaps a year or two younger than the one with the
kite, stood not far away under a tree, watching them with a
wide-eyed expression. The coloring was the same so he must be
another relation.

Miss Westins cheeks turned a deeper
pink, but she smiled sweetly. “Not today.” She looked back at the
boy. “Besides, I enjoy spending time with my brothers.”

Lady Anne pursed her lips and didn’t
comment further.

The scene of Miss Westin encouraging
her brother reminded him of the days Adele played with him and his
brothers on the lawn. Clayton missed those parts of his youth. Life
was full of laughter and fun. Then she was gone.

The boy ran to retrieve the kite that
now lay on the ground.

“
Might I suggest a place
further into the park where there are not so many pedestrians? I
would hate if someone was hurt.”

Miss Westin stiffened at his tone. He
hadn’t meant to sound harsh and why was it only she who brought out
this side of him?

“
I am sorry to have
disturbed you. I will make sure the children are more careful.” She
looked away from him and nodded to Lady Anne. “Good day.” With that
Miss Westin turned and marched back to her siblings. A pang of
jealousy shot through Clay. It was good for the children to run and
have fun, just not amongst society. The last time he behaved like
that was the day before Adele walked out of his life. From that day
forward, as soon as he could sit in a chair again, his father had
kept him in the study, training him for his future, until Clay was
sent away to Eton for his formal education.

Clay placed Lady Anne’s hand back on
his arm and they continued on his stroll. The laughter from Miss
Westin and the children followed them until they were out of
earshot. He wanted to go join them. Forget about responsibility for
just a short time.

The thought froze him for a moment.
Women like that made gentlemen forget their duty. “What do you know
of Miss Westin? She is new to London, is she not?”

Lady Anne stiffened for a moment. Why
such a reaction? Was it disapproval?

“
I understand that she is
Lord Stanhope’s granddaughter. She preferred to remain with her
family until her grandfather finally forced her to London so that
he could find her a husband.”

“
Her parents are not with
her?”

“
They are dead, I
believe.”

Clayton glanced back. Was Miss Westin
responsible for her siblings? Surely not. Stanhope probably took
care of the lot and it was about time Miss Westin did marry. She
had been left alone for far too long. If she had been trained to be
a proper lady, she wouldn’t be acting like such a hoyden
now.

*

Of all the people to run into, why did
it have to be that lord of all people? She didn’t even know his
name, but certainly knew his face and disposition. Goodness, did
the man even know how to smile? Did he not know how to have fun? Of
course Toby should have watched where he was going and should not
have run into the gentleman. But really, what harm was done? Nobody
was hurt.

How dare he tell her to take them off
somewhere else. Both he and Lady Anne looked at them as if they
carried the plague. It was truly a shame because she had actually
liked the young women when introduced to her the evening before.
Quiet and shy, but Eleanor hadn’t realized how rigid. Those two
were perfect for each other. Their frowns even matched. Maybe one
day they would marry and produce many frowning children.

No they wouldn’t, because Lady Anne
wouldn’t be around her children. She would have nursemaids and
nannies.

Why was she so angry about something
so unimportant?

“
Boys, we need to return to
the house.”

Together, the group turned and made
the long trek back to Cheapside. It was quite a distance, but she
couldn’t afford to pay for a hackney today and the boys didn’t seem
to mind.

Oh, why did she let that gentleman get
under her skin? She didn’t even know him so why should it matter if
he approved of her or not? Though unhappy with the encounter, at
least he hadn’t yelled at Toby, which would have been his right,
she supposed. Toby had practically run him over.

Eleanor shook the thoughts from her
mind when they arrived at the house. Why was she thinking about him
anyway? With any luck, they wouldn’t encounter each other
again.

Mrs. Hartley was just arriving when
Eleanor opened the door. The woman was a Godsend. .

Eleanor was so grateful to have met
the widow shortly after they arrived. Each evening Mrs. Hartley
came and stayed with the children until the morning. It served both
of their purposes. It allowed Mrs. Hartley to be away from her
brother-in-law, a detestable man who drank too much, and gave
Eleanor peace that the children were not alone.

Eleanor hugged each child individually
before moving onto the next. Their time together was always so
short. Today she had only been allowed three hours because her
grandmother had made further demands on her time. Oh, why couldn’t
she find a husband? All she wanted to do was take the children and
go home.

“
When will you be back?”
Toby asked, his sad brown eyes looked up at her.

She caressed his cheek. “Tomorrow. And
we will find something fun to do.”

Ethan, the second brother, wrapped his
arms around her legs and squeezed. “I love you.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “I love you
too.” She pulled away and squatted to look him in the eye. “Now you
be good for Leigh and Mrs. Hartley.

Ethan sniffed. “I will.”

Eleanor ruffled his hair. “Help Leigh
take care of Jamie, too.”

He smiled proudly and nodded his head.
Jamie was only two, the youngest, and even though Ethan was only
eight, he liked the idea that he was able to help and protect his
younger brother.”

With a heavy heart Eleanor walked to
the door. She hated leaving them. It was so unfair. While she
dressed in expensive gowns and attended balls and danced, her
siblings were shut up in this modest dwelling in Cheapside. Eleanor
was fairly certain she would not forgive her grandfather once she
was free of him. But, for the moment, and only until September, he
was her guardian, leaving her little choice. If they weren’t so
broke, near penniless, she would have never agreed to come to
London. But they could not go on as they had. She needed a rich
husband and she didn’t care who he was as long as her family could
remain with her.

*

Clayton’s attention was drawn to the
door at the announcement of Lord and Lady Stanhope, and Miss
Westin. She looked radiant this evening with her mahogany tresses
curled gently around her head and a face that glowed with happiness
in the candlelight. She had more color than most debutants. Perhaps
it was because she played in the sun today without shading herself
with a parasol or hat. The light blue gown complimented her
complexion and hair, as well as her figure.

The next family to arrive was Lady
Anne and her parents. The young woman, while pretty in pink, paled
in comparison to Miss Westin. Why couldn’t Miss Westin possess the
demeanor of Lady Anne?

Clayton placed an empty glass on the
tray and made his way to Lady Anne’s side. If he did not claim a
dance now, they would all be taken. Gentleman always clamored to
her side the moment she stepped into the room, and for good reason.
Not only was she lovely, but her dowry would please any man. Not
that Clay needed funds. He was settled enough for this life and the
next generation. By the time he reached her side, the only
remaining dance was a quadrille toward the end of the evening. He
penciled his name in, bowed and turned away.

At that very moment, Miss Westin took
a step back, right onto his left booted foot. With a squeak she
moved away and turned.

“
Do you ever watch where
you are going, Miss Westin?”

Color rose to her cheeks. “I am very
sorry, my lord.”

“
You’ve met my
granddaughter?” Lord Stanhope inquired.

Clayton forced a pleasant
smile. “No, actually. We bumped into each other at a ball the other
evening.”
Collided was a more apt
description
.

Lord Stanhope looked between the two.
“Might I present my granddaughter, Miss Eleanor Westin. Eleanor,
this is Lord Bentley.”

She dropped to a quick curtsey and
Clay bowed. Eleanor? The name didn’t quite suit her. It was so
staid for someone with such energy.

“
It is a pleasure to meet
you, Lord Bentley.”

“
And you, Miss Westin,” he
returned.

He should excuse himself, but could
not make his feet move. What was it about this woman? He couldn’t
keep his eyes off her at the Pranth’s ball, nor last night. Then
today, after their encounter in the park, he spent far too much
time wondering about her and her younger brothers. Nothing good
could come from his interest, so why didn’t he just move
on.

“
Might I see your dance
card?” Why was he asking her to dance? They were not suited so this
was simply a waste of time.

A curious frown marred her brow but
she held it out to him anyway. The first dance was not claimed and
he penciled in his name. Perhaps once he danced with Miss Westin he
could put her from his mind.

The strings began to tune in
preparation. Clay offered Miss Westin his arm and led her to the
dance floor. The perplexed look never left her face. Not that he
could blame her. He was perplexed as well. If any couple was ill
suited it was they.

They continued through the motions of
the quadrille not uttering a sound. Other couples were engaged in
animated conversation, Clay was thinking about what to do next. How
long should he court Lady Anne before asking for her hand? Were
there rules he was unaware of? It was a shame she wasn’t as lovely
as Miss Westin. But that glint in Miss Westin’s eyes, as if she
knew secrets no lady should know, made it impossible to consider
her for the position as his countess. He would not repeat his
father’s mistake with his second wife. The pain had been too hard
as a child and he refused to experience it as an adult.

“
Are you always so somber,
Lord Bentley?” Miss Westin asked with a hint of humor in her
voice.