A Lesson in Pride (20 page)

“And where have you been all this time, Lord Hood?”

“Italy. I only returned when I inherited. I must say it came as quite a shock when I did. There were so many ahead of me.”

Before Ginny could respond, the gentle strands of a waltz started to play. Her head turned automatically to see that her stepdaughters were engaged.

“Would you care to dance?”

First, Ginny's body heated up because of his soft baritone voice in her ear. Then her cheeks reddened because he'd thought she was hinting at a dance. Normally, she wouldn't have cared what he thought, but since she was already attracted to him, she could hardly control her responses.

“Oh, that's not necessary. I was just checking on my stepdaughters.”

He furrowed his brow. “You do not like to dance?”

“No, I do. I just don't... I didn't want you...” After a few stumbles, Ginny found herself again. “I would love to dance, Lord Hood.”

His genuine smile made Ginny's heart skip a beat. “Excellent, since I had no intention of taking no for an answer.”

Morgan led her to the dance floor, easily integrating them into the other dancers. As Ginny had suspected, the man was an excellent dancer, with a lithe grace and inherent confidence. He spun her easily around the other couples, causing her stomach to do a little flip-flop. By the end of the waltz, Ginny was grinning like a schoolgirl.

Offering his arm, Morgan walked her back to where he'd found her about to run into a wall. Not that he had any intention of leaving her.

“May I offer you a refreshment, my lady?”

Ginny thought about the selection of drinks being offered and scrunched her nose. Watered-down punch or weak wine weren't on her list of desired beverages. Seeing her face, Morgan leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

“I have a flask filled with the finest whiskey. Irish to be exact. If you would care to walk about the garden, I would be happy to share it.”

There just wasn't anything Ginny could find not to like about this guy. Good looking, intuitive, smart. He was the whole package.

Grabbing his arm once again, Ginny said, “What a charming offer. What girl could refuse you?”

The two made their way out the terrace doors and down a stone path into the dark garden.

********

Grant sat playing cards with a few drunken peers with deep pockets. Though he no longer had to underwrite his own expenses with gambling winnings, old habits died hard. He was too used to taking advantage of those who could afford to be taken advantage of. As he won yet another hand, a feeling of disgust overtook him.

Wasn't this exactly what Alysanne had railed against him about? There had to be honest ways to make money, not that he had much in the way of skills. He wasn't unintelligent. He could learn new skills. But would he? Would he go to the trouble? Would he do it for her?

Picking up his winnings, Grant nodded his head to the other gentlemen at the table.

“Come now, Montgomery. You must give a chance to win some of our money back.” Lord Neville was the only one at the table who was still sober enough not to be slurring, which made his losses more laughable. The man was perpetually unlucky when it came to cards. Thankfully, his family was lucky in many other ways that it didn't matter.

“My apologies, gentlemen, but I did promise a dance to an old friend. She will be wondering what I am about. Please excuse me.”

No one tried to further prevent his departure. To each and every man left at that table, Grant was referring to an assignation, not a dance. No man would prevent him from that. If anything, they were all jealous of his ability to charm the ladies.

As Grant left the card room, he spotted Alysanne's stepdaughter Hope right away. She was dancing with some young fop, and by the looks of it, she was having a grand time doing so. Looking around the dance floor, Grant was certain he would spot Alysanne. After a minute, he moved to circle the floor, hoping to catch her somewhere. They were hardly friends at the moment, but he wanted to speak to her anyway, though he had no apology to offer her.

Just as he reached the terrace doors, he spotted her. She was walking with another gentleman, one who Grant didn't recognize. They were entering the garden together.

He had no idea where the compulsion came from, only that he had to follow them. The man, whoever he was, could not have any genteel ideas when it came to Alysanne. The girl was too beautiful not to want to sink one's fingers into her hair, or run one's lips up her jawbone. Though the girl wasn't the same naïve chit he'd known before her marriage, she still might need his help thwarting the man's unwanted advances.

Grant entered the darkened garden and followed the same path the pair had used. He could hear them talking, though they were too far away to make out the words. Then came the tinkle of Alysanne's laughter. The sound made heat rise to Grant's cheekbones.

Coming to the end of the path, Grant stopped and listened. He heard the rustling of a lady's skirts and moved toward the sound. Just on the other side of a hedge, he heard Alysanne talking.

“Thank you, Lord Hood. That is indeed very fine whiskey.”

Grant tensed to find out that the man was feeding Alysanne liquor. What kind of gentleman did such a thing unless he had hopes of getting her drunk and taking advantage? Lord Hood, she had called him. Who the hell was that? Certainly no one who would normally run in his social circles.

“You are welcome to more, my lady.”

“No, thank you, my lord. I can't afford to lose my wits when I am in charge of my stepdaughters.”

Now it was Hood's turn to laugh. “Ah, yes. And I shall not wish to take on the role of the corrupter.”

Grant listened closely as Alysanne snorted her response. “I daresay you would have to go a long way to corrupt me, sir. There are times when I think I might be hopeless.”

Her words cut deeply into Grant's soul. It wasn't possible that she could feel so. She was still so young, still somewhat pure. As far as Grant knew, he'd been her only lover. Was it her intention to make this Hood fellow her next? Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Grant forced down the bile that had risen in his throat. It was time to make a fool of himself.

Rounding the hedge Grant found the pair seated on a small stone bench facing the other way. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, making Lord Hood jump and stand in surprise. Alysanne, however, merely turned to see who had approached them. When she saw it was Grant, she hardly looked surprised at all.

“Good evening,” Grant stated as he approached the pair.

“Good evening, sir. May I help you?”

Grant would give the man his due. He did act the gentleman, even if the situation at hand disproved that. Alysanne, he noticed, remained stoic and seated. His presence, it would appear, would not faze her in the least.

“Lady Essex, I have been searching for you.”

“Why?”

Her one-word answer stunned him momentarily, but he was determined to forge on.

“I had hoped to speak to you in private this evening.”

While his eyes focused solely on Alysanne, Grant knew Hood's eyes were baring straight into him. Not that he gave a fig.

Alysanne rose from the bench with all the dignity of their queen. She turned and walked to stand in front of Grant. There was no smile on her face now, only a look of defeat. It was the same look she had had when he told her that he needed to marry a wealthy cit.

“About what?” she asked, nonchalance and boredom abound.

Looking over his shoulder toward the other man, Grant stated, “Alone, Alysanne. I have no desire to burden this gentleman with our concerns.”

Alysanne's head tilted to the side as she regarded him. Grant felt as if he was on trial and everyone was judging him. That was how much power this young girl held over him. Then, like a match being struck, Alysanne stepped back and smiled.

“Oh, I get it. This is about my plan. About you and Persephone, right? You want to know how I plan to...” Thankfully she stopped before she said something in front of the stranger to Grant's left. Instead, she waved her hand around. “Well, never mind that. You're welcome to stop by for tea this week. I can send the girls on some foolish errand if you wish to speak in private.”

“Have you no time now?” Grant asked, letting her hear his frustration.

Alysanne glanced over at Lord Hood and startled. “How rude of me. Lord Hood, this is Lord Grant Montgomery. His father is the duke of Bedford. Grant, Lord Hood has recently returned from Italy.”

Grant turned to face the man. Begrudgingly, he held out his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you Hood.”

Just as begrudgingly, Grant thought, Morgan took Grant's hand and shook. “The pleasure is mine.”

When nothing more was said between the two men, Alysanne chimed in. “Well, I should be returning to the ball. Hope and Charlotte must be wondering where I've gone off to.”

Before Hood could speak up, Grant offered, “Allow me to escort you, my lady.” He offered his arm, but she brushed past it without a second thought.

“I think I might just escort myself back, thank you. Good evening, gentlemen,” she called over her shoulder as she disappeared behind the hedge, leaving both men standing there.

“Extraordinary lady,” Hood uttered, returning a silver flask to his jacket pocket.

“Indeed,” Grant concurred. “She is a very old friend of mine and I would not see her harmed in any way.”

“No more than I,” Hood responded. “We have only just met. I know so few people in town.”

Grant moved his gaze over the man, sizing him up. He was shorter than Grant, but had a wiry strength about him. Still, Grant was certain he could take him. “I should be happy to introduce you around, Hood. Are you a member of White's?”

“No, unless the membership came with the title.”

“We should meet there sometime. Now, if you will excuse me.” Grant left his invitation vague, as he had no interest or desire to meet Lord Hood anywhere, especially not to do him a favor. Alysanne might be too naïve to understand what this man was about, but Grant had no delusions. Hood was looking for a new lover, and he obviously had set his sights on Alysanne.

Chapter 28

As Ginny sat at breakfast, she noticed several things. Hope was unusually quiet and Charlotte was unusually fidgety. As she sipped her coffee, she watched each in turn trying to figure out what was going on. No one commented on her absence the previous evening. No one had anything to say about the ball at all on the ride home. Ginny had chalked it up to weariness, but now she wasn't so certain.

“Hope, did you meet any interesting gentlemen last night?” she asked, forcing an annoying cheerfulness in the hopes of getting her stepdaughter to talk.

“No,” was all the response Hope gave.

Pinching her lips, Ginny turned to Charlotte. “How about you, Charlotte? Any nice men ask you to dance?”

At the sound of her name, Charlotte jumped. “No, no one,” she sputtered and went back to playing with her breakfast.

Ginny could force the issue with both girls, but decided that dividing and conquering was her best bet. Knowing that Charlotte had ridden with Mr. Pierce the day before, she would get Charlotte alone first. The girl could be very introspective and not prone to sharing. One-on-one would be the better way to go.

“Charlotte, could I have a word with you after breakfast?” Ginny asked sweetly.

Instead of an affirmation, Ginny was treated to two sets of eyes, both giving her a strange look. Hope, who had completed her breakfast, stood up and said, “I have something to take care of anyway. I will meet you in an hour for our shopping excursion.” Hope never looked back as she darted from the room.

Ginny stared at her retreat with unease before turning her head back to Charlotte. The girl had no intention of returning her gaze, so Ginny just forged on instead.

“What is going on?” Her tone held a bit of exasperation, like she was the last one to get a joke.

“Nothing. Why do you ask?” Still avoiding her eyes, Charlotte began to pick apart her toast.

“Are you serious? If you don't tell me what is the matter, I will start asking very pointed questions. If I don't get answers, I will start asking other people questions. Other people... say, like Mr. Pierce.” Ginny didn't know why she was annoyed. Maybe it was because she thought Charlotte was her friend. Maybe it was because her own love story had gone all pear-shaped. Whatever the reason, she was determined that things would start to go right if it meant her sticking her nose in everyone else's business.

Charlotte looked at her then. Her stare spoke volumes. Whatever the issue was, it involved Mr. Pierce. It would be easier than Ginny thought.

“Has Mr. Pierce done something inappropriate?”

“No, of course not. He is always the gentleman.”

“Do you like him?” Ginny asked, wondering if she were solving problems or throwing darts at a board hoping that one would eventually stick.

“He is most kind.”

Rolling her eyes, Ginny asked, “Did you enjoy yourself on the drive yesterday?”

“Yes.”